President Donald Trump and Dana White aren’t just trying to outdo the UFC’s previous $20 million spectacle at the Las Vegas Sphere, they’re aiming to leave it in the dust! What started as a bold idea to stage fights near the White House has now ballooned into something far bigger, both literally and financially.

Speaking to reporters this week, Trump revealed plans that immediately changed the scale of the conversation. While announcing an IndyCar race coming to Washington, D.C. this summer, the President pivoted to the UFC and offered a jaw-dropping detail.

“They are going to put up something that’s really amazing,” Trump said. “It’s really having to do with our great 250th birthday. We’re having so many wonderful things. UFC is coming, as you know, in front of the White House, we’re building literally a stadium and have over 100,000 people.”

If the plan holds, it would dwarf anything the UFC has ever attempted. For context, UFC CEO Dana White previously confirmed that the promotion was exploring a nearby park setup capable of hosting roughly 85,000 fans. That alone would have rivaled the largest crowds in MMA history. But President Trump’s comments push that ceiling even higher.

The timing matters too. The White House card is part of a broader slate of events celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, with Washington D.C., set to host multiple high-profile spectacles throughout the summer. The UFC appears to be positioned as one of the centerpieces.

But there are still major questions. Donald Trump didn’t offer details on where exactly this stadium would sit, how long it would take to build, or whether the structure would exist solely for viewing purposes while the actual fights remain invite-only near the White House grounds.

It’s also unclear whether this is a single unified venue or a combination of controlled zones designed to manage security, logistics, and crowd flow. With less than five months to go before the June event, the question now isn’t whether the UFC White House card will be memorable. It’s whether the promotion is about to stage the largest live combat sports event in history. And according to Dana White, the promotion won’t be taking a single cent from the taxpayers for this endeavor!

Dana White reveals the UFC is “eating” the entire cost of the White House card

Speaking with Sports Business Journal, the UFC CEO shut down any speculation about taxpayer money helping prop up the June 14 White House spectacle. “No, we’re eating the whole thing,” White said flatly, confirming the promotion will cover every dollar of what’s shaping up to be the most expensive event in company history.

And the costs? They’re already eclipsing familiar benchmarks. White didn’t mince words when comparing it to UFC 306 at the Las Vegas Sphere, which reportedly ran north of $20 million. “What the Sphere cost is like chump change compared to what this is going to cost,” he told TNT Sports. That’s striking, considering the Sphere card was already packed with Hollywood-level animations and custom-built lighting rigs.

Here, the challenges are different and arguably harder. Just restoring the South Lawn after the event will cost roughly $700,000, according to prior disclosures. Then there’s the terrain itself. The lawn slopes, which complicates staging and camera placement. Add in Secret Service protocols, restricted access zones, and a location that can’t be altered freely, and suddenly, nothing is simple.

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Behind the scenes, UFC Chief Content Officer Craig Borsari has taken point on production. White said Borsari’s team has already presented detailed video renderings and 3D models of the South Lawn, mapping sunlight angles and weather patterns to ensure the broadcast looks clean from start to finish.

If this plan holds, the UFC won’t just top Noche UFC at the Sphere; it will rewrite what a live combat sports event can look like. Whether it becomes a flawless spectacle or a controlled chaos experiment, June’s White House card is no longer just a fight night. It’s a statement, and the entire sports world will be watching to see if Dana White and President Donald Trump can actually pull it off!