{"id":2461114,"date":"2026-06-15T23:04:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T23:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2461114"},"modified":"2026-06-15T23:04:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T23:04:02","slug":"ufc-boss-says-never-again-to-another-white-house-fight-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/ufc-boss-says-never-again-to-another-white-house-fight-night\/","title":{"rendered":"UFC Boss Says &#8216;Never Again&#8217; To Another White House Fight Night"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<div class=\"cli cli-embed cli-embed--full-width js-no-inject\">\n<div class=\"js-react-hydrator\" style=\"display:contents\" data-component-name=\"YouTube\" data-component-id=\"4042\" data-component-props=\"{&quot;itemType&quot;:&quot;video&quot;,&quot;isLiveblogEmbed&quot;:false,&quot;index&quot;:0,&quot;contentIndexByType&quot;:1,&quot;contentListType&quot;:&quot;embed&quot;,&quot;code&quot;:&quot;&lt;div style=\\&quot;left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\\&quot;&gt;&lt;iframe src=\\&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M0L9_2NlN_Y?rel=0&amp;enablejsapi=1\\&quot; style=\\&quot;top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;\\&quot; allowfullscreen scrolling=\\&quot;no\\&quot; allow=\\&quot;accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;\\&quot; referrerpolicy=\\&quot;strict-origin\\&quot; id=\\&quot;youtube-embed-M0L9_2NlN_Y-1578\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;&lt;\/div&gt;&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;video&quot;,&quot;meta&quot;:{&quot;author&quot;:&quot;TODAY&quot;,&quot;author_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UChDKyKQ59fYz3JO2fl0Z6sg&quot;,&quot;cache_age&quot;:86400,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;To celebrate his 80th birthday and the nation\u2019s 250th anniversary, President Donald Trump hosted an unprecedented UFC fight in the backyard of the White House. The $60 million event brought the UFC\u2019s 8-sided cage and a mixed martial arts extravaganza to the 4,000 attendees which included cabinet members and dignitaries. Now, Trump is headed to Geneva for the G-7 summit in France amid geopolitical rifts. NBC\u2019s Kelly O\u2019Donnell reports for TODAY.\\n\\n\u00bb Subscribe to TODAY: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@TODAY\\n\\nTODAY brings you the latest headlines and expert tips on money, health and parenting. We wake up every morning to give you and your family all you need to start your day. If it matters to you, it matters to us. We are in the people business. Subscribe to our channel for exclusive TODAY archival footage &amp; our original web series.\\n\\nConnect with TODAY Online!\\nVisit TODAY's Website: https:\/\/www.today.com\/\\nFind TODAY on Facebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/today\\nFollow TODAY on Twitter: https:\/\/twitter.com\/TODAYshow\\nFollow TODAY on Instagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/todayshow\/\\n\\n\u00bb Stream TODAY All Day: https:\/\/www.today.com\/allday\\nAbout: TODAY All Day is a 24\/7 streaming channel bringing you the top stories in news and pop culture, celebrity interviews, cooking, and more. All in one place.\\n\\n#ufc #america250 #donaldtrump&quot;,&quot;options&quot;:{&quot;_cc_load_policy&quot;:{&quot;label&quot;:&quot;Closed captions&quot;,&quot;value&quot;:false},&quot;_end&quot;:{&quot;label&quot;:&quot;End on&quot;,&quot;placeholder&quot;:&quot;ex.: 11, 1m10s&quot;,&quot;value&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;_start&quot;:{&quot;label&quot;:&quot;Start from&quot;,&quot;placeholder&quot;:&quot;ex.: 11, 1m10s&quot;,&quot;value&quot;:&quot;&quot;}},&quot;provider_name&quot;:&quot;YouTube&quot;,&quot;thumbnail_height&quot;:720,&quot;thumbnail_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/M0L9_2NlN_Y\/maxresdefault.jpg&quot;,&quot;thumbnail_width&quot;:1280,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Trump Celebrates 80th Birthday With UFC Fight at White 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class=\\&quot;ad-entry_paragraph_1 ad-spot--gam ad-spot--gam-inline-1\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\\r\\n&lt;script type=\\&quot;text\/javascript\\&quot;&gt;\\r\\n  HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\\r\\n\\t\\treturn HPGam.render(\\&quot;inline-1\\&quot;, \\&quot;entry_paragraph_1\\&quot;, false, false);\\r\\n  });\\r\\n&lt;\/script&gt;\\r\\n&quot;,&quot;&lt;div id=\\&quot;ad-inline-2\\&quot; class=\\&quot;ad-entry_paragraph_3 ad-spot--gam ad-spot--gam-inline-2\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\\r\\n&lt;script type=\\&quot;text\/javascript\\&quot;&gt;\\r\\n  HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\\r\\n\\t\\treturn HPGam.render(\\&quot;inline-2\\&quot;, \\&quot;entry_paragraph_3\\&quot;, false, false);\\r\\n  });\\r\\n&lt;\/script&gt;\\r\\n&quot;,&quot;&lt;div id=\\&quot;ad-inline-infinite\\&quot; class=\\&quot;ad-repeating_dynamic_display ad-spot--gam ad-spot--gam-inline-infinite\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\\r\\n&lt;script type=\\&quot;text\/javascript\\&quot;&gt;\\r\\n  HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\\r\\n\\t\\treturn HPGam.render(\\&quot;inline-infinite\\&quot;, \\&quot;repeating_dynamic_display\\&quot;, false, false);\\r\\n  });\\r\\n&lt;\/script&gt;\\r\\n&quot;],&quot;adCount&quot;:0,&quot;midArticleAdPartner&quot;:null},&quot;isCollectionEmbed&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"cli-embed__embed-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Trump Celebrates 80th Birthday With UFC Fight at White House\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M0L9_2NlN_Y?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 By the time Justin Gaethje pummeled his bloodied foe to a pulp and celebrated a championship win with a backflip off the top of the wire-mesh cage, then shook hands with President <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-80th-birthday-ufc-biden-e14d1bbccc1cbaaad42fd541b1fe833d\" role=\"link\" class=\" js-entry-link cet-external-link\" data-vars-item-name=\"Donald Trump\" data-vars-item-type=\"text\" data-vars-unit-name=\"6a302673e4b04478a061e3d0\" data-vars-unit-type=\"buzz_body\" data-vars-target-content-id=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-80th-birthday-ufc-biden-e14d1bbccc1cbaaad42fd541b1fe833d\" data-vars-target-content-type=\"url\" data-vars-type=\"web_external_link\" data-vars-subunit-name=\"article_body\" data-vars-subunit-type=\"component\" data-vars-position-in-subunit=\"0\">Donald Trump<\/a> \u2014 and even fist-bumped Melania \u2014 this much about his company\u2019s future was clear to the ultimate boss of UFC.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Just say no to the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-80th-ufc-white-house-724c875d7a7cbfed087e179e8f689ec0\" role=\"link\" class=\" js-entry-link cet-external-link\" data-vars-item-name=\"White House\" data-vars-item-type=\"text\" data-vars-unit-name=\"6a302673e4b04478a061e3d0\" data-vars-unit-type=\"buzz_body\" data-vars-target-content-id=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-80th-ufc-white-house-724c875d7a7cbfed087e179e8f689ec0\" data-vars-target-content-type=\"url\" data-vars-type=\"web_external_link\" data-vars-subunit-name=\"article_body\" data-vars-subunit-type=\"component\" data-vars-position-in-subunit=\"1\">White House<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>\u201cIt was an amazing, experience, this was a one-of one,\u201d UFC CEO Dana White said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>\u201cIt will never happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Oh, not because the show dubbed Freedom 250 and ostensibly held to celebrate Trump\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ufc-claw-octagon-ufo-white-house-trump-2c008c72bcfd2334a17ba5ba009595ec\" role=\"link\" class=\" js-entry-link cet-external-link\" data-vars-item-name=\"80th birthday\" data-vars-item-type=\"text\" data-vars-unit-name=\"6a302673e4b04478a061e3d0\" data-vars-unit-type=\"buzz_body\" data-vars-target-content-id=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ufc-claw-octagon-ufo-white-house-trump-2c008c72bcfd2334a17ba5ba009595ec\" data-vars-target-content-type=\"url\" data-vars-type=\"web_external_link\" data-vars-subunit-name=\"article_body\" data-vars-subunit-type=\"component\" data-vars-position-in-subunit=\"2\">80th birthday<\/a> and the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/america-250\" role=\"link\" class=\" js-entry-link cet-external-link\" data-vars-item-name=\"250th anniversary\" data-vars-item-type=\"text\" data-vars-unit-name=\"6a302673e4b04478a061e3d0\" data-vars-unit-type=\"buzz_body\" data-vars-target-content-id=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/america-250\" data-vars-target-content-type=\"url\" data-vars-type=\"web_external_link\" data-vars-subunit-name=\"article_body\" data-vars-subunit-type=\"component\" data-vars-position-in-subunit=\"3\">250th anniversary<\/a> of the Declaration of Independence\u2019s signing wasn\u2019t by White\u2019s accounts a smashing success. He crowed about merchandise sales and streaming service subscriptions and how UFC surpassed its goals in every metric he could list at a press conference that stretched well into dawn\u2019s early light.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Forget it, almost impossible to top on a night where fighters essentially treated their walk-outs like they were kids on a class trip. The all-male lineup toured the West Wing, the Oval Office, past presidential portraits, through the Roosevelt Room, the Cabinet Room \u2014 and the winners even got a meet-and-greet with Trump.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Gaethje skimmed the copy of the Declaration of Independence that hangs in the Oval Office and said a prayer before he made the unusually long walk to the cage. Gaethje battered Spanish-Georgian fighter Ilia Topuria in the main event and won the UFC lightweight title.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>\u201cUsually, I kind of blank out when it comes to getting ready to walk to the cage,\u201d Gaethje said. \u201cIt was pretty crazy, looking at the Declaration of Independence. The original one. Their language was different. I\u2019m not smart enough to read that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Gaethje also banked a whopping $825,000 in bonus money for winning \u201cPerformance of the Night\u201d and \u201cFight of the Night\u201d honors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Trump stayed until the end of the seven-card show and generally seemed engaged with the fights \u2014 at one point he put on a white \u201cUSA\u201d baseball cap \u2014 and certainly was all smiles each time a fighter who had a hand raised in victory then used it on a handshake with the president.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Trump boasted on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/topic\/truth-social\">Truth Social<\/a> the night was \u201cPERFECT!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>\u201cMost people have never seen anything like that kind of human speed and power before,\u201d Trump posted. \u201cThe White House has never looked more beautiful. The setting was unsurpassed!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>There were few blips on the big night and the blemishes that did happen were at the expense of UFC\u2019s two more problematic fighters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland was escorted out of the Ellipse watch party attended by thousands more fans by a group of police officers. Heavyweight Josh Hokit took it further with an extraordinary and unfounded attack <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/fact-check-michelle-obama-mother-satire-623260875576\" role=\"link\" class=\" js-entry-link cet-external-link\" data-vars-item-name=\"based on a right-wing conspiracy theory\" data-vars-item-type=\"text\" data-vars-unit-name=\"6a302673e4b04478a061e3d0\" data-vars-unit-type=\"buzz_body\" data-vars-target-content-id=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/fact-check-michelle-obama-mother-satire-623260875576\" data-vars-target-content-type=\"url\" data-vars-type=\"web_external_link\" data-vars-subunit-name=\"article_body\" data-vars-subunit-type=\"component\" data-vars-position-in-subunit=\"4\">based on a right-wing conspiracy theory<\/a> about former first lady <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/news\/topic\/michelle-obama\">Michelle Obama<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>For all the handwringing ahead of the card, the show delivered on the star-spangled smackdown that featured pulsating patriotism from the Marine Band, tributes to first-responders, active military, and other White House designated heroes. Gaethje and Ciryl Gane were crowned champions inside a blood-splattered eight-sided cage plopped in the open air right in the people\u2019s house backyard on the South Lawn.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Blood-and-guts were a mandate before an American fighter wrapped himself in the flag.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>\u201cHopefully tonight created some unity,\u201d White said as he put on his hyperbolic promoter\u2019s hat. \u201cEven for the people that thought this was going to be some big political statement or something, this wasn\u2019t. This was Americans, all Americans celebrating the birthday. For people who tuned in for the first time, because it was at the White House, hopefully they liked the sport. They liked some of the guy\u2019s stories.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>So maybe some new fans stick around.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>After all, International Fight Week is right around the corner with UFC 329 set to mark the return after a five-year break of the company\u2019s biggest box office draw, Conor McGregor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>That fight will be held in a more traditional arena back on UFC\u2019s home turf in Las Vegas, just as they will for years and years to come.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>But despite all the pomp and pageantry, the eyerolls and angst, White stands by his claim that UFC is one-and-done in D.C.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>The constant headaches over weather concerns in the rare outdoors show, the logistics of construction of the cage and staging events at federal landmarks and the soaring cost \u2014 UFC said it was footing the $60 million tab \u2014 made the Freedom 250 a one-off for a company once dubbed \u201chuman cockfighting.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t afford it,\u201d White said. \u201cI\u2019ll never do the Sphere again and we\u2019ll never do this again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>AP MMA: <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/mixed-martial-arts\" role=\"link\" class=\" js-entry-link cet-external-link\" data-vars-item-name=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/mixed-martial-arts\" data-vars-item-type=\"text\" data-vars-unit-name=\"6a302673e4b04478a061e3d0\" data-vars-unit-type=\"buzz_body\" data-vars-target-content-id=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/mixed-martial-arts\" data-vars-target-content-type=\"url\" data-vars-type=\"web_external_link\" data-vars-subunit-name=\"article_body\" data-vars-subunit-type=\"component\" data-vars-position-in-subunit=\"5\">https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/mixed-martial-arts<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"cli cli-related-articles js-cet-subunit\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 By the time Justin Gaethje pummeled his bloodied foe to a pulp and celebrated a championship win with a backflip off the top of the wire-mesh cage, then shook hands with President Donald Trump \u2014 and even fist-bumped Melania \u2014 this much about his company\u2019s future was clear to the ultimate boss 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