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In an interview with Time magazine, UFC President and CEO Dana White said he has sworn off politics after the 2024 election, claiming his organization's event at the White House next month is patriotic, not political.
"You can make anything political if you want to," White told the magazine when asked about UFC Freedom 250. "I love this country like anybody on the left loves this country. I love this country like anybody on the right loves this country. This is basically me spending a s------- of money to celebrate the 250th birthday of America, with America and the rest of the world."
UFC Freedom 250 is scheduled for June 14 on the White House South Lawn in Washington, DC. According to Time, President Donald Trump "planted the seeds" for the White House event after talking to White at a UFC fight in Madison Square Garden after his reelection in 2024.
The Time profile also details the relationship between White and Trump, as well as White's ties to the Make America Healthy Again and manosphere movements. The president has previously called White "very important" to the 2024 campaign, in which the UFC executive arranged appearances for Trump on podcasts popular with young men, including Joe Rogan.
"He introduced me to people I never heard of, young kids," Trump said, Time reported. "They’re nice kids, and they do have a big audience, and everything helps."
White endorsed Trump in 2020 and spoke on his behalf at a rally in Colorado. In 2024, he introduced Trump at the Republican National Convention before Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination.
White claimed the UFC will lose about $30 million on the event. But Mark Shapiro, the president and COO of UFC's parent company TKO, told Time that the event is "the greatest earned marketing tool of all time."
UFC Freedom 250 will take place on June 14 on the White House South Lawn. Fans will be able to watch the event on big screens at The Ellipse, which will accommodate up to 85,000 people.
The event itself will be invite-only, with 1,200 of the expected 4,300 attendees being active military members. The event has been pitched as an early celebration of the United States' 250th anniversary, though the event also falls on Trump's 80th birthday.
The event has drawn criticism from lawmakers, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sen. Adam Schiff.
"Trump is building a golden ballroom and for his birthday party — arranging a UFC fight on the White House grounds — while you're fighting to pay this month's bills," Schiff said on X on May 26. "Could he be more out of touch?"
Unwelcome combatants: UFC's White House event expected to attract uninvited guests
The profile on Time included a list of celebrities that White said he invited to UFC Freedom 250. They include:
USA TODAY reached out to representatives for the named invitees for comment.
UFC Freedom 250 takes place June 14 on the White House South Lawn in Washington, DC. Fans will be able to watch the event on big screens at The Ellipse, which will accommodate up to 85,000 people.
The event itself will be invite-only, with 1,200 of the expected 4,300 attendees being active military members. It has been pitched as an early celebration of the United States' 250th anniversary, though the event also falls on Trump's 80th birthday.
Its card features two title fights — lightweight champion Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje, and Ciryl Gane vs. Alex Pereira for the interim heavyweight title. The rest of the card includes Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi, Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis, Michael Chandler vs. Mauricio Ruffy, Kyle Daukaus vs. Bo Nickal, and Steve Garcia vs. Diego Lopes.
White said in the profile that he wanted to book a title fight between Zhang Weili and Mackenzie Dern, but that "we couldn’t get it done."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dana White claims UFC Freedom 250 at the White House is patriotic
Continue reading...
"You can make anything political if you want to," White told the magazine when asked about UFC Freedom 250. "I love this country like anybody on the left loves this country. I love this country like anybody on the right loves this country. This is basically me spending a s------- of money to celebrate the 250th birthday of America, with America and the rest of the world."
UFC Freedom 250 is scheduled for June 14 on the White House South Lawn in Washington, DC. According to Time, President Donald Trump "planted the seeds" for the White House event after talking to White at a UFC fight in Madison Square Garden after his reelection in 2024.
The Time profile also details the relationship between White and Trump, as well as White's ties to the Make America Healthy Again and manosphere movements. The president has previously called White "very important" to the 2024 campaign, in which the UFC executive arranged appearances for Trump on podcasts popular with young men, including Joe Rogan.
"He introduced me to people I never heard of, young kids," Trump said, Time reported. "They’re nice kids, and they do have a big audience, and everything helps."
White endorsed Trump in 2020 and spoke on his behalf at a rally in Colorado. In 2024, he introduced Trump at the Republican National Convention before Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination.
White claimed the UFC will lose about $30 million on the event. But Mark Shapiro, the president and COO of UFC's parent company TKO, told Time that the event is "the greatest earned marketing tool of all time."
What is UFC Freedom 250?
UFC Freedom 250 will take place on June 14 on the White House South Lawn. Fans will be able to watch the event on big screens at The Ellipse, which will accommodate up to 85,000 people.
The event itself will be invite-only, with 1,200 of the expected 4,300 attendees being active military members. The event has been pitched as an early celebration of the United States' 250th anniversary, though the event also falls on Trump's 80th birthday.
The event has drawn criticism from lawmakers, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sen. Adam Schiff.
"Trump is building a golden ballroom and for his birthday party — arranging a UFC fight on the White House grounds — while you're fighting to pay this month's bills," Schiff said on X on May 26. "Could he be more out of touch?"
Unwelcome combatants: UFC's White House event expected to attract uninvited guests
UFC Freedom 250 invitees named in Dana White's profile on Time
The profile on Time included a list of celebrities that White said he invited to UFC Freedom 250. They include:
- Adam Sandler
- Guy Ritchie
- Tom Brady
- Jared Leto
- Jason Statham
- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
- Mario Lopez
USA TODAY reached out to representatives for the named invitees for comment.
What is UFC Freedom 250?
UFC Freedom 250 takes place June 14 on the White House South Lawn in Washington, DC. Fans will be able to watch the event on big screens at The Ellipse, which will accommodate up to 85,000 people.
The event itself will be invite-only, with 1,200 of the expected 4,300 attendees being active military members. It has been pitched as an early celebration of the United States' 250th anniversary, though the event also falls on Trump's 80th birthday.
Its card features two title fights — lightweight champion Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje, and Ciryl Gane vs. Alex Pereira for the interim heavyweight title. The rest of the card includes Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi, Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis, Michael Chandler vs. Mauricio Ruffy, Kyle Daukaus vs. Bo Nickal, and Steve Garcia vs. Diego Lopes.
White said in the profile that he wanted to book a title fight between Zhang Weili and Mackenzie Dern, but that "we couldn’t get it done."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dana White claims UFC Freedom 250 at the White House is patriotic
Continue reading...
