July 4, 2026, marks the 250th anniversary of the United States declaring independence from Great Britain. That particular date also falls on a Saturday, and while the UFC typically takes off for American Independence Day weekend, could a chance to be involved in Washington D.C.’s events alongside U.S. President Donald Trump cause a one-time change?
It could be if Trump has his way. And perhaps that kind of event would be enough to draw a matchup, once thought to be dead in the water, involving MMA’s biggest star ever back to life.
During an event on Thursday (July 3), Trump, at an event that marked a year-long celebration leading to the U.S.’ semiquincentennial, teased the idea of having a UFC event on the grounds of the White House, the residency of the U.S. President, during next year’s Independence Day events.
“So every one of our national parks, battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honor of America 250,” Trump said. “And I even think we’re going to have a UFC fight. “Think of this on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there.”
According to the Associated Press, a spokesperson from the White House had no official details for such an event. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, however, claims the U.S. President is “dead serious” about it.
Other logistics would also have to be worked out. The UFC has typically used the last weekend in June or the first or second weekend of July for it’s annual International Fight Week celebrations in Las Vegas.
Trump and UFC President Dana White have enjoyed a long-standing friendship. The Trump Taj Mahal (now the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino) in Atlantic City, New Jersey, hosted a pair of UFC events in 2001 as Zuffa, the then-recent new owners of UFC, were getting their feet under them at the same time the UFC was working alongside athletic commissions to get professional MMA sanctioned.
Since his first election to the presidency, Trump has been a key figure at several UFC events, most recently appearing at UFC 302 in Newark, New Jersey, last month.
Could Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler Headline A Proposed UFC Event At The White House?
Hours after Trump made the tease, Conor McGregor took to social media, announcing his desire to end his long layoff from the cage to compete in the main event of the White House’s UFC card. McGregor even posted an Instagram message to White, with White saying he “loves” the idea.
McGregor has not been seen in the Octagon since losing his UFC 264 trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier due to injury.
Hours after his initial posts, McGregor made another social media post, showing what appears to be an AI-rendered image of him and Michael Chandler facing off in suits on the White House, with President Trump smiling in the background.
Neither Chandler nor the UFC have made an official statement on the White House event, let alone the potential McGregor vs. Chandler could headline such a card.
McGregor and Chandler were initially scheduled to fight after the two coached season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2023. As time went on, no fight announcement happened, however, until White announced at the UFC 300 post-fight press conference that McGregor and Chandler would face off at UFC 303 — during 2024’s International Fight Week.
The month of UFC 303, however, a press conference scheduled for Dublin was suddenly canceled at the eleventh hour, and the fight ended up dissolving. The official claim is a toe injury to McGregor, but some have speculated a contract dispute between McGregor and the UFC.
McGregor, also a part-owner of BKFC, has two fights remaining on his current UFC deal, and some have speculated the UFC want McGregor to sign another deal and lock him up.
McGregor, of course, has also dealt with his long list of controversies outside the cage, including a jury’s ruling last November implicating him in the alleged December 2018 sexual assault of a woman, Nikita Hand, in a Dublin hotel. Additionally, a video surfaced weeks ago of McGregor punching a man at a nightclub in Ibiza.
