President Donald Trump announced Thursday that a UFC championship fight will take place on the White House lawn within the next year as part of an unprecedented celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
The event is expected to draw up to 25,000 spectators and headline a series of national festivities tied to the America250 campaign.
The announcement came during Trump’s speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, where he laid out plans for multiple large-scale events to honor the country’s semiquincentennial.
“Does anybody watch UFC? The great Dana White? We’re going to have a UFC fight. We’re going to have a UFC fight — think of this — on the grounds of the White House,” Trump said.
Trump said UFC President Dana White would oversee the event, which he described as a full-scale championship fight.
“We have a lot of land there, we’re going to build a little — we’re not, Dana is going to do it. Dana is great, one of a kind — going to be UFC fight, championship fight, full fight, like 20,000 to 25,000 people, and we’re going to do that as part of ‘250,’” Trump said.
The president has maintained a close friendship with White and has