White House to host UFC fight on Trump’s birthday — All about the bizarre spectacle

We're going to have a UFC fight. Think of this. On the grounds of the White House. >> The fighters are going to walk out of the Oval Office. >> We're literally going to take over Washington DC that week. >> Yes, the UFC is really heading to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue this summer on President Trump's birthday, no less. But what does a night of fights on the White House lawn even look like? Here's absolutely everything that you need to know about the bizarre spectacle. President Donald Trump dropped jaws at the kickoff of America 250 in July of last year when he first announced the unprecedented event as part of the year-long celebrations. >> He's like, "I think we should do a fight here at the White House." And I was like, "Uh, okay. I'm in. I'm in." >> The fights are set to take place on Donald Trump's 80th birthday on Sunday, June 14th, which is also Flag Day. But if cage fighting at the home of the leader of the free [music] world on his birthday didn't sound crazy enough, that's just scratching the surface of the wild plans in store for the unprecedented event and how it will run. According to Dana White and renderings released by the promotion, weigh-ins for the fights are planned to take place at the Lincoln Memorial and UFC fighters will start their walk out to the cage from the most iconic room in the White House. >> The fighters are going to walk out of the Oval Office. When they walk, they're walking from the Oval Office. >> The south lawn of the White House isn't exactly a top-of-the-line venue when it comes to practicality, however. Less than 5,000 seats will actually be sat around the octagon itself. And if you thought that security was tight at Madison Square Garden, think again. >> I mean, Secret Service when we bring in 4500 people that night [music] logistically pulling this off >> is insane. The event is also planned to be the UFC's most expensive in its history. According to White, the UFC will have to shell out up to a million dollars to repair the damage that will be done to the grounds of the South Lawn alone. All in all, UFC parent company TKO's Mark Shapiro projected putting on the spectacle will cost them a whopping $60 million. Dana White has assured that the UFC will be covering the entire cost of the event, meaning that your taxpayer dollars are safe, with Shapiro even noting that they're prepared to take a $30 million loss for the exposure that it will bring. As far as the 20,000 fans that would normally be cheering in the arena, White has said that they'll be able to view the fights right across the street at the Ellipse Park, where he claims there will be a massive watch party of up to 85,000 people. And for the millions of fans tuning in at home, the UFC is as accessible as it ever has been, kicking off its $7.7 billion deal with streaming platform Paramount Plus in January 2026, opting to forego its pay-per-view model that it's historically operated under. And [music] if the event is simal cast on Paramount CBS, it would be a pivotal moment for the sport. [music] A mixed martial arts event at the White House being aired on national television would be a stark contrast to the turn of the millennium when MMA was illegal in over 30 states. But who will actually be stepping into the octagon on the South Lawn? After nine months of anticipation, the card will be headlined by knockout artist and massive European star UFC's lightweight champion Ilia Taporia, who will attempt to unify the division's belts against the flag waving American and human highlight reel Justin Gi in what can only be expected to be a barn burner of a fight. And while the one-of-a-kind spectacle is inarguably a logistical nightmare, the UFC has pulled one off before. Not only has the UFC dialed in consistently putting on massive shows in a production that stands above the rest in the business, it was able to do so at another unlikely venue, the Las Vegas sphere. At Noce UFC in September 2024 in honor of Mexican Independence Day, the UFC successfully put on the first major sporting event that the technological marvel has hosted. Despite a mountain of logistical challenges, putting on a cage fight at the venue, which cost production alone a staggering $20 million, the promotion took home two sports Emmys for the event's [music] breathtaking visuals. According to Dana White, however, the UFC White House event will be the promotion's most challenging so far. [music] Would you say then pulling that off would be the best thing that you've ever done? >> No doubt about it. Pulling this off makes the sphere look like finger painting. >> It's the sphere on steroids. I mean, it's going to be a oneofone event. There'll be there'll be nothing like it ever again. >> If you enjoyed this video, make sure to check out the rest of our MMA content here at Against the Cage on New York [music] Post Sports. And go ahead and click that like and subscribe button while you're at it if you want to stay up tod date with the latest in MMA as well as the best sports in town.

A UFC fight at the White House has officially been announced to take place on June 14th, coinciding with Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. But that’s just scratching the surface of the wild plans in store for the unprecedented event and how it will run. From fighters walking out of the oval office, to weigh-ins at the Lincoln memorial, here’s everything you need to know about the bizzare spectacle. #whitehouse #ufc #iliatopuria Subscribe and don't miss out on all the key news, highlights, and interviews about the Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets, Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Devils, Islanders and what's buzzing in the sports world too! Catch the latest news here: https://nypost.com/sports/ Follow The New York Post Sports on: Twitter - https://twitter.com/nypostsports Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nypostsports/