Dana White is chasing the UFC’s boldest stage yet, the White House! Just last month, President Donald Trump sent shockwaves through the sports world when he announced his intentions to hold a UFC event on the White House lawn in 2026 to honor 250 years of American independence.

Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of speculation about how the promotion will manage to pull off the landmark event. In a recent interview with The Associated Press, the UFC head honcho even confirmed, “It’s absolutely going to happen. Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC will be on the White House south lawn live on CBS.”

So, the plan is real, the clock is ticking, and according to White, the hard part isn’t who fights. It’s what it will take to make the show happen at all. During the recent DWCS (Dana White’s Contender Series) post-fight press conference, the UFC boss was asked what the plans for the historic card looked like and if there’s a “number” of fights that are being planned.

White’s response? He confessed, “I’m flying out there, the end of this month, 28th, going to meet with him (President Trump), show him all the renderings and the plans, see what he wants to do, doesn’t want to do and then we’ll start from there. But not even thinking about any of the fights till… I mean, it’s still a year away.”

But as mentioned earlier, the real hurdle isn’t matchmaking. It’s logistics. And that’s where things get interesting as White explained, “This is a different challenge in that I want to do it on the South Lawn, and they have some weight issues, and the Octagon is 25,000 lbs.”

In other words, the lawn wasn’t exactly built to host a quarter-ton fighting platform. Then there’s the weather, something Dana White has sworn off after the heat and humidity of Abu Dhabi events.

Yet, he is ready for that too, as he further stated during the post-fight press conference, “And then the weather, which I hate and said I would never do again after Abu Dhabi. I don’t give a sh—if it snows, we’re going to be out on that South Lawn!”

And if President Trump’s vision holds, it could involve 20,000 spectators on site. That’s a crowd size more fitting for an arena, not the White House lawn. The UFC boss has always chased “one of one” experiences. He made the UFC 306 card in Las Vegas a spectacle that stunned the sports world. Now, he wants to top it. “It’s the Sphere on steroids,” he even teased in a past interview.

And while security concerns could mean a limited crowd, possibly just fighters’ families, the broadcast impact may be what White’s banking on. As he stated in his interview with the Associated Press, the event will air live on CBS, a prime showcase for the UFC’s ever-growing brand as it prepares for its new billion-dollar-a-year deal with Paramount starting in 2026.

It’s a testament to his leadership that not too long ago, the UFC was still fighting for legitimacy. Politicians called it “human c**kfighting.” Now, the same sport is poised to headline a celebration of American independence at the nation’s most iconic residence! However, there’s one fighter who’s taken his name off the card even before it’s made for one particular reason!

Tom Aspinall is not interested in the White House event as Dana White prepares to meet with President Trump

Tom Aspinall isn’t interested in stepping into the cage at the White House. The newly crowned undisputed heavyweight champion says he’s got other things on his mind, and Jon Jones isn’t one of them. The two were once a long-awaited fantasy matchup. Then Jones retired, seemingly unretired, and has even teased a return for the White House event.

But Aspinall has already moved on. With a title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 locked in, he’s not spending a second thinking about ‘Bones’. As he recently told Ariel Helwani, “It’s boring as hell, don’t want to talk about [Jones possibly returning]. I’ve already got a fight, so I’m focused on that… I’m not interested, mate, and the world shouldn’t either, because what’s the point? It’s false hope.”

That’s not just a cold dismissal; it’s practicality. Aspinall says there’s no point in hyping something that may never happen. And when it comes to the fighting on the South Lawn, as indicated by Dana White, he’s not putting himself forward for that either.

Why? According to the British powerhouse, “It would be a cool experience, but I feel like the Americans should get the shot at the White House, “I’m not against [Trump]. I don’t know anything about American politics, I’m not American. I don’t reside there, I don’t do anything there apart from pay taxes and fight there. So all of that stuff just is irrelevant to me.”

From a logistical nightmare to a once-in-a-lifetime showcase, the White House card is shaping up to be unlike anything the UFC has attempted. Dana White is betting big on history, spectacle, and the kind of “one of one” event that cements legacies.

But as Tom Aspinall’s stance shows, not every champion is chasing that lawn. For some, the spotlight belongs to others. So, who would you like to see fight on the card? Drop your matchups in the comments below!