Brandon Moreno made his position crystal clear Wednesday when asked whether he’d want to compete on the UFC’s upcoming White House fight card: he’s not interested. Not even a little.
During UFC Fight Night media day in Mexico City ahead of his Saturday, February 28 main event bout against Lone’er Kavanagh at Arena CDMX, the two-time flyweight champion was approached by a reporter about the highly anticipated UFC event slated for June 14 at the White House South Lawn.
Special Event? For Who?
The exchange was terse and pointed:
Reporter: “Are you interested in fighting at the White House event?”
Moreno: “Brother, I want you to tell me — why would I want to fight there?”
Reporter: “It’s very special.”
Moreno: “For who? For you?”
Reporter: “For the company.”
Moreno: “No. I’m not interested. Thank you.”
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Moreno, a Tijuana native and one of Mexico’s most celebrated UFC stars, currently ranked No. 6 in the flyweight division, did not elaborate further on his reasoning, nor did he need to. The comments come amid a wider wave of professional athletes publicly pushing back against the Trump administration’s policies, particularly ICE immigration enforcement under the Department of Homeland Security.
Athlete Pushback in Broader Sports World
Moreno’s comments arrive in a week marked by notable instances of athletes distancing themselves from Trump administration events. The gold medal-winning U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey Team declined an invitation to attend Tuesday’s State of the Union address, citing scheduling and previously committed academic and professional obligations following the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics. Team USA women’s captain Hilary Knight went further, publicly describing the White House invitation as a “distasteful joke.”
By contrast, the U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team — which also won gold, defeating Canada 2-1 in overtime — visited the White House earlier that day before attending the State of the Union, where the team received a bipartisan standing ovation. Trump announced during the speech that goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Five members of the men’s team did not attend.
Moreno’s Fight This Weekend
Moreno (23-9-2) headlines UFC Fight Night: Mexico City on Saturday, February 28, against short-notice replacement Lone’er Kavanagh (ranked No. 15 at flyweight), who stepped in after original opponent Asu Almabayev withdrew due to injury.
Moreno enters the bout looking to rebound from a TKO loss to Tatsuro Taira at UFC 323 in December 2025 — the first stoppage defeat of his career.
