Now that the Jon Jones nightmare is over (for now), Dana White is being grilled about another matter — and frankly, it’s a bit ridiculous.
White promises he’s going to deliver the biggest, best card possible when the UFC heads to the White House in 2026, but it’s way too soon for any fantasy matchmaking.
The announcement from President Donald Trump that he wants to hold a UFC card at the White House as part of his plans for America’s 250th birthday celebration has dominated headlines over the past week. White has been orchestrating logistics to bring such an event to Washington, D.C., but he’s not even ready to think about potential fights yet, with the card still a year away.
“I mean everybody wants to be on this card,” White said at the UFC Nashville post-fight press conference. “You don’t even have to know who’s blowing up my phone. You just see it all on the internet. But the fight’s a year away. The landscape will change a lot over the next year.”
Since the card was first confirmed, just about everybody has volunteered to compete, including now-former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who actually decided to end a short retirement to potentially compete on that card.
Jones might end up being an option, but White doesn’t even want to speculate right now because the event is simply too far out to seriously consider potential fights — or even fighters — for the show.
“We wouldn’t even start building that card — it’s literally a year away from now,” White said. “It’s a year away. It’s not even worth talking about, who would be on the card. The entire MMA landscape will be different a year from now.”
As for the magnitude of the event, White promises he’s going to put together something truly spectacular, especially considering this might be the first and only card ever held at the White House.
“It will be a pay-per-view card,” White said. “The best card we can possibly put together.”
While there are still a lot of unknowns about the event, White says planning has definitely already started, and they know the location where the show is expected to take place.
Additional details are expected to be hammered out shortly, with White expected to take a trip to the White House soon to sit down with Trump to figure out exactly how the event comes together.
“We’re going to be on the South Lawn, and literally when you’re watching the fight, this will all be the White House [on one side] and then behind me will be the Washington Monument,” White said.
“We’re just getting into the logistics now. My team have already walked the White House with the staff there. Now we’re putting together the design. We’ll all fly out to D.C. and sit down with him and see what he wants to do.”
During the post-fight press conference in Nashville, the press kept asking who might be on the card — and it was ridiculous.
One fight could change the entire UFC landscape, and people are asking who’s going to be part of an event a year out? Come on, people.
There’s drug testing, fights that still need to happen, and the possibility of injuries that could affect the event — and yet people want the full lineup now? It’s crazy.
Yes, this event could end up being one of the best ever — but it’s still so far away.
