Everyone thought Zuffa Boxing 3 would be about punches and scorecards. Instead, the biggest highlight of the night came from a microphone during the post-fight press conference. The UFC White House card, which has been teased as historic, unprecedented, and untouchable, is no longer just an idea. It exists. On paper.

But it’s not official. Just not yet. Because, according to head honcho Dana White, there is one final approval required before the Octagon reaches the South Lawn. Before CBS broadcasts it throughout America, and before fans bicker about title fights. And it does not come from matchmakers.

Dana White claims two White House cards are already built

“We have, like, two different options laid out, and the matchmaking process has already started, so yeah, we got the White House card done last week,” Dana White said while speaking after Zuffa Boxing 3 in Las Vegas.

After announcing that the groundwork is done, the head honcho added, “So we laid out two different options. I didn’t say it was done. I said the card was built.”

Pressed on how many title fights would headline the June 14 event, the CEO of the promotion shut the door quickly, “No. I’m not saying anything.”

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The secrecy is not unintentional. Dana White and UFC chief content officer Craig Borsari are heading to Washington, D.C., this week to meet with Donald Trump and his team. Not just to present the fights, but the entire production blueprint.

“We have like three different options on all the different production stuff,” the CEO said. “And see what he likes and what he doesn’t like.” Then came the promise. “This event is gonna be so bada– and so unique and so special. And so expensive.”

The last word was not a joke. The UFC pays the bill entirely. There is no taxpayer money being used for the event. Dana White has already hinted that redoing the White House lawn alone may cost around seven figures. In comparison, the massively hyped Sphere event cost them $20 million.

“No, we’re eating the whole thing. So yeah, it’s going to be a historic one-of-one fight, and just like I talked about with the Sphere, we’re going to make the Sphere look like f—— ashtray money,” Dana White told SBJ earlier this week.

Two versions of history now sit on a table in D.C. The fighters may or may not already know. But for now, the matchmakers have completed their work. Now, it’s a matter of which version the President signs off on—and if the final unveiling lives up to the promise of being the most watched UFC event ever. After all, the risk is going to be really high, as per Ari Emanuel, the CEO of the UFC’s ownership group, TKO.

Ari Emanuel contradicts Donald Trump’s “eight or nine championship” fight claims

If there are two versions of the fight card in Washington, there may be two versions of reality floating around as well. Because, while the production team discusses lighting grids and camera angles, expectations are being negotiated just as carefully.

Back in December, Donald Trump created a stunning image. “They’re gonna have eight or nine championship fights, the biggest fights they’ve ever had,” he said at the time. “Every one’s a championship fight.” It sounded like WrestleMania meets Independence Day, with nothing but gold belts and legends.

However, when Ari Emanuel spoke in public, he took a far more measured tone. “There’s going to be, approximately, six to seven fights, 14 June,” Emanuel said. “Dana’s working on it right now… It’s gonna be CBS, Paramount+.”

There’s no guarantee of nine title fights. There is no assurance that each fight will involve a belt. What fans have been assured is that there will be a tighter, more curated event. And that difference is crucial.

A normal UFC event can have up to 13 fights. Cutting that in half increases the stakes for each contest chosen. The CEO of TKO lowered attendance predictions, estimating 3,000-4,000 on the South Lawn.

This is completely different from the higher figures earlier suggested by Donald Trump, as he said, “I think the arena’s gonna be 5,000 or 6,000 seats, right in front of the front door of the White House, and 100,000 people in the back, where they’re putting up eight or 10 very big screens.”

That means this isn’t going to be an overstuffed spectacle. It is shaping up to be a focused one. Fewer fights, a bigger spotlight, and less room for error. And in that context, hype is more than just marketing; it’s also pressure.