Donald Trump Wants UFC White House
President Donald Trump’s plans to host a UFC fight on White House grounds next year could be one of the most iconic events in America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
Trump’s announcement that the fight card will be watched by around 25,000 spectators at the White House triggered massive debates on social media.
The global gambling industry will be closely monitoring developments given how many punters love betting on major mixed martial events (MMA).
Bettors will be clamouring to use bet365 refer a friend promotions to wager on the event if it comes to fruition. According to White House officials, Trump is ‘serious’ about the plans.
Discussions for UFC White House
A UFC official confirmed they are in discussions with the White House about hosting a UFC, but refused to share any additional details.
While Trump’s comments raised plenty of eyebrows in sporting circles, his relationship with the UFC and chief executive officer Dana White dates back to at least 2001.
With White struggling to secure a venue for a UFC fight, Trump agreed to host it at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. The seeds of a mutually beneficial partnership were sown.
White has made no secret of his admiration for the 79-year-old and was chosen to introduce him at the Republican National Convention last July.
Trump became the first sitting president to attend a UFC event in Miami in April and followed up with another appearance at event in Newark last month.
Although the president has had a long-standing relationship with the UFC, his increased interactions with the promotion are politically motivated.
His public relations team has previously admitted that he uses the relationship to forge stronger ties with citizens who do not engage with mainstream media outlets.
“The audience gets to see him through an unvarnished filter that isn’t tainted by news media and political biases,” Trump’s White House communications director Steven Cheung told the Associated Press in 2023.
“It gives us the great opportunity to connect with voters who are, quite frankly, turned off by many traditional news outlets.”
Cheung, the UFC’s former director of communications, has recognised how the promotion offers Trump an easy route to a captive audience.
The president’s relationship with the UFC has been praised by numerous MMA stars including Colby Covington, Henry Cejudo and Jorge Masvidal.
Covington could be a prime candidate to feature on the UFC card at the White House given how strongly he has supported Trump over the past few year years.
He was beaten by Joaquin Buckley on his most recent outing in December, and actually cited Trump as a primary reason for that defeat.
Covington took the fight at short notice and had little time to prepare as he was heavily involved in Trump’s presidential campaign efforts.
The 37-year-old has subsequently confirmed that he is only interested in ‘legacy fights’ and competing at the White House would undoubtedly fit that description.
He recently teased the possibility of facing British fighter Paddy Pimblett in a fight which would ramp up the demand for UFC streams worldwide.
“I think the Paddy Pimblett fight is interesting,” Covington said. “He’s got a little bit of a name right now, but only because he’s got an English accent and a bowl cut.
“He’s actually bigger than me. He’s a weight bully. He cuts a lot of weight.”
Pimblett has indicated he wants to challenge lightweight champion Ilia Topuria for the title, but a match-up with Covington has plenty of appeal from a marketing perspective.
