Should the UFC White House card be a top priority for active UFC fighters? Let’s do the math. For anyone who has not fought in the last quarter of 2025, it should be easily possible to fight once in early 2026 and then angle for the White House event in June. For big names like Conor McGregor and Jon Jones, it’s possible to sit out and wait for the marquee event, since they are not active or defending champions to begin with. But what about the current champions and other active fighters? Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman have had it with their obsession with the “one-off” card.

“I haven’t said yes or no to anybody yet,” confirmed UFC CEO Dana White yesterday about the event. At the UFC 322 presser, he also confirmed that the event won’t be American fighters vs. the rest of the world. Rather, it will be the best against the best, as the UFC is supposed to be. Last week, after Islam Makhachev captured the welterweight title at UFC 322, he called out to President Donald Trump with a clear message, “Donald Trump… I am coming,” hinting at a potential 170-pound showdown with Topuria on the South Lawn. Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo weighed in on the growing buzz surrounding Topuria’s possible appearance on the White House card and pointed out why it’s a colossally bad idea.

UFC star questions why fighters prioritize White House events over their careers

Ilia Topuria captured the UFC lightweight title on June 28, becoming the 10th fighter in UFC history to hold championships in two weight classes. Despite this historic achievement, uncertainty still surrounds his next fight, as ‘El Matador’ has competed only once this year and has no upcoming bout scheduled. Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo discussed Ilia Topuria’s long layoff during the latest ‘Pound 4 Pound’ segment.

Henry Cejudo said, “How would that not be that long ago? Especially if he doesn’t have a fight booked. Okay, so from June 28th, right, to the White House and go up a weight division. Does that seem right?” Meanwhile, clearly frustrated, Kamaru Usman criticized the UFC roster’s fixation on the White House event. “That doesn’t make sense,” he said. “It’s like everyone’s mouth is so fixed on this White House, White House, White House. Bro, just fight.” Originally, the UFC White House card was rumored to be on July 4, 2026, to mark America’s 250th anniversary.

However, a few months ago, Donald Trump moved the event to his birthday on June 14, which is still a long way down the road. So, Kamaru Usman voiced his frustration on Pound 4 Pound, saying, “What happened to January, February, March, April, May? These are all pay-per-views. What? Why is everyone saying White House, White House? Jesus. Let’s just take it. Just—if you want to fight, I don’t care if it’s in the backyard. Hey, as long as I’m getting that same check and their eyes are going to be on it, it is what it is. Why are we all stuck on this White House?”

Beyond slowing fighters’ careers, not every athlete is keen to participate in the UFC White House event. The card has already faced criticism for being widely seen as promoting a political agenda. Fighters like Brandon Royval and Sean Strickland openly condemned it, calling it “Hunger Games” because the bouts seemed designed to entertain high-profile billionaire guests rather than the die-hard fans, a point Henry Cejudo also confirmed.

Henry Cejudo reveals restricted audience for UFC White House card

A fighter becomes a star the moment he steps into the Octagon, and the arena explodes with noise. That electric atmosphere has followed names like Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, and Islam Makhachev throughout their careers, and fans expect something similar from the UFC White House event. On July 3, Donald Trump said he wanted a huge crowd for the card, describing his vision as a “full fight, like 20–25,000 people.” But most people already knew that such a turnout was impossible. Security officials have made it clear that they cannot allow that many spectators for obvious safety reasons.

Because of that, the UFC White House event is now shaping up to be far more limited than originally imagined. Henry Cejudo backed this up through his own sources, saying, “These dudes are so… you’re right. People are so fixated on this damn… damn, shit, that it’s kind of… f*cking crazy. Everybody wants to fight there. It’s like, bro, they’re not going to allow 20,000 people there. From what I’ve heard, I think there’s only roughly around maybe five to six thousand people that are going to be in attendance. So, it’s not going to be all this… you know, but some of the most high-profile people, bro.”

‘Triple C’ is on point here. And he might be pleased to hear what Brandon Royal had to say about a White House spot: “ I don’t give a s*** about fighting at the f**** White House. I wanna fight in front of big crowds bro. It’s like how big can the White House even like, have of a stadium?… I don’t give a f*** about any of our political figures right now, and it’s like fighting in front of them just seems like some f*** hunger games”.

In the end, fans will have no choice but to tune in from home on Paramount+. And if Islam Makhachev vs Ilia Topuria actually goes down at the White House, even the fighters might miss out on the wild atmosphere they’d get in a packed arena. What do you think? Share your thoughts below.