After months of anticipation, the UFC has revealed the official White House fight card, but the response from fans and fighters has been underwhelming.
The UFC’s “Freedom 250” Fight Night is scheduled for June 14 on the South Lawn of the White House, timed to line up with both President Trump’s 80th birthday and the celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The card was announced during the recent UFC 326 broadcast, and will feature two championship bouts – not “8 or 9” like Trump previously claimed.
The Dallas Express has been following updates on the fight night since Dana White first announced the event last year. In November, 2025, White was saying the fight card could be the best in the company’s history, with Islam Makhachev – then holding two divisional titles – even calling out Trump for a spot, yelling from the cage after UFC 322, “Donald Trump, let’s go! Open the White House. I’m coming!”
However, in February, 2026, TKO Group Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel dialed back expectations on attendance, which may have revealed cracks in the UFC’s plans, confirming the South Lawn would hold 3,000 to 4,000 fans due to security restrictions – a far cry from the “over 100,000 people” Trump had originally told reporters.
Now that the official card is here, the math doesn’t add up to “greatest ever.”
The main event pits lightweight champion Ilia Topuria against interim titleholder Justin Gaethje in a unification bout. At the same time, Alex Pereira will attempt to become the first UFC fighter to hold titles in three weight classes when he faces Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight strap in the co-main event.
Rounding out the card are Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi, Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler, Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus, and Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia.
Six fights.
Two title bouts – one of them interim.
No McGregor.
No Jones.
No Makhachev.
The chaos surrounding the card’s assembly didn’t seem to help. Even interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, one half of the main event, said he was allegedly told last Thursday he “definitely” wouldn’t be on the card – only to be confirmed on the day the lineup was announced, per Uncrowned.
That’s not exactly the organized red-carpet rollout expected for a main event fighter at the most expensive event in UFC history.
The UFC is reportedly spending over $60 million to produce the fight night, with roughly $700,000 alone going toward restoring the South Lawn afterward. And although the White House security concerns have capped in-person attendance, large screens at The Ellipse or other adjacent sites could accommodate up to 85,000 more fans.
The Topuria-Gaethje matchup is compelling, and Pereira’s quest for a third belt could be historic. Still, for a card meant to define a generation, the gaps are hard to ignore. Conor McGregor, one of the sport’s biggest names, isn’t on it. Islam Makhachev, who begged for the spot in front of a live crowd, isn’t on it. And Jon Jones, the man who many argue may be the greatest fighter in UFC history, isn’t on it either.
Fighters Fire Back: Jones Says He Was Lowballed, Rousey Says The Card “Sucks”
The fallout from the announcement has been loud.
Dana White was allegedly pretty dismissive of Jon Jones after the card was announced, saying Jones was “never, ever, ever” in his mind for the White House event and pointing to a viral video where Jones, unaware he was being filmed, discussed his hip problems and a possible future hip replacement.
Jones wasn’t having it. In a post on X, the former heavyweight and light heavyweight champion accused the UFC of lowballing him during their contract negotiations. “Let’s clear something up. My team and I were actually negotiating with the UFC for that fight. Real negotiations. I even came down from my original number, and what was I offered in return? I was lowballed.”
“Yes, I have arthritis in my hip and it’s painful, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight. So let me get this straight, if I had accepted the lowball offer, suddenly my hip would be fine and I’d be on the White House card? That doesn’t make sense…I even received stem cell treatment last week to get ready for the White House card, and training camp was scheduled to start today. I was preparing to be ready,” Jones added.
“No more spins, no more games,” he wrote. “Bones out.”
White acknowledged that UFC matchmakers had spoken with Jones, but still maintains that he was never seriously considered.
Conor McGregor’s absence, meanwhile, has barely warranted much of an explanation.
Back in a 2025 post on X, McGregor wrote, “Happy 4th of July, USA…Excited with President Trump announcing a UFC fight event at the White House. I would be honoured! Count me in!”
However, as DX previously reported, McGregor has recently argued that the UFC’s new Paramount+ deal voided his existing contract, complicating any return negotiations. With no resolution in sight, one of the sport’s most bankable names on the planet watched the announcement from the sidelines. Now, at the age of 37, and after losing an appeal in a civil rape case in 2025, McGregor may never fight as a pro again.
Then there’s Ronda Rousey, who has essentially gone scorched earth against her former boss after seeing the White House card’s final lineup.
“Dana knows the White House card sucks,” Rousey said at a press conference in Los Angeles promoting her upcoming Netflix fight against Gina Carano. “He knows that they were pushing this for over a year, and it fell extremely short of expectations.” Rousey has previously said she reached out to the UFC about setting up an MMA comeback, but talks collapsed due to complications with the Paramount+ deal and money issues.
“They don’t care about putting on the best fights possible,” Rousey said. “They care about putting on the most cost-effective fights possible.”
With the UFC spending over $60 million to put an octagon on the White House lawn, “cost-effective” might not be the right phrase.
