In an audacious–and by some perspectives, gimmicky–move, the White House will serve
as backdrop/host for an upcoming, high-profile UFC event, dubbed UFC Freedom 250. The
brainchild of UFC CEO Dana White, what started as an off-handed comment by then
President-elect Donald Trump will be broadcast as a live-TV stream on the Paramount+
platform on June 14–Flag Day and President Trump’s 80th birthday.
Stemming from a UFC event at Madison Square Garden that Trump attended following the
2024 election, Trump mentioned to long-time supporter and friend White that “We should
do a fight at the White House”.
“I said, ‘Yes, we should.’ I was thinking maybe there’s some room that he’s thinking about
where we’d have it. He’s like, ‘No, we’re gonna do it outside on the South Lawn.’ He’s funny,
but he’s not a joke around kind of guy,” said White. “Literally, when he say’s something,
consider it done.”
With that, the off-handed remark will become a reality, with White’s UFC picking up the
total cost, which may end up north of $60 million. The slate will feature a series of ultimate
fighting competitions, including two title bouts with only the backdrop of the White House
from one angle, and the Washington Monument on the other. UFC’s parent company, TKO
Group, is betting on “Super Bowl-level” media exposure, and a cornerstone moment
preceding their forthcoming $7.7 billion deal with Paramount Skydance.
All costs involved, from building the temporary stage, surrounding arena and hospitality
structures, to replacing the grass upon conclusion is covered by UFC/TKO. Mark Shapiro,
president and COO of TKO confirmed they expect to lose about $30 million on UFC 250,
even after securing high profile sponsorship deals from Ram Trucks, crypto.com and
Monster Energy.
Coupled with the country’s semi quincentennial, Shapiro is adamant that this is not a profit
seeking venture. “I want to be clear about something: We will not profit from the White
House event independently. We will not be making money on America’s 250th anniversary,”
Shapiro said. “This is an investment for the long term. This is about earned media. We see
this once-in-a-lifetime stage as a strategic investment to drive subscriber acquisition
at Paramount+, massive audience sampling for the UFC overall, and Super Bowl-like earned
media across the globe.”
It does fall in line with Dana White’s audacious promotional history and his dogged
determination to elevate UFC from its cultish or niche beginnings to a major sports
spectacle. In his 25 years at the helm, UFC has progressed from its sideshow beginnings to a
$1.5 billion sports powerhouse. But the so-dubbed “Freedom 250” is on a whole other level,
even by White’s standards. In addition to the 4,300-seat outdoor venue that has now been
erected on the South Lawn—and its 87-foot canopy, which towers above the White House
itself—the weekend will include a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial and a two-day
fan fest for as many as 85,000 people at the Ellipse, the public park directly south of the
White House South fence.
Because the UFC controls its own TV productions, it will pick up the tab for not only the
infrastructure but also the broadcasts, with nine production trucks’ worth of equipment
and crew. With overall costs topping $60 million, the price dwarfs UFC’s usual monthly
showcase events, which fall between $2 million-$3 million, and far exceeds their $20
million tag for the first ever sporting event at Sphere Las Vegas in 2024.
While acknowledging his company could lose as much as $30 million depending on how
certain costs are amortized, White contends that no price is too high to entertain the nation
for its semi quincentennial, elevate MMA further into the mainstream, and at least for one
night, make it the sport that represents America. “Tell me it can’t be done, tell me it’s a
huge challenge, tell me it’s going to cost us a bunch of money,” said White. “Tell me this,
that. That’s the stuff that I run right into.”
It’s a long way from the quaint T-ball games George W. Bush hosted at the White House, or
the ice-skating exhibition hosted by Jimmy Carter. And while White and TKO maintain the
event is not a political one, the political optics are tough to ignore.
“What this fight is really all about, and why we’re doing it at the White House, is it’s the 250th
birthday of America,” said White. “You’ve got the far right, you’ve got the far left, and
people thinking that this is going to be like some type of political thing. This is the 250th
birthday of America. That’s the story that we’re going to tell. If you are American, this is
relevant to you as an American. Everybody, no matter what your politics are, or any of
that other b****.”
Trump is no stranger to crafting media spectacles and hosted the UFC fighters at the Oval
Office on May 6 to promote the event. In addition to renderings and mock-ups of what the
event will look like, Trump also showcased the championship belts that have been created
for the title bouts. With his characteristic assuredness, Trump flatly stated to the gathered
media, “This will be the greatest show on earth.”
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