Trump Schedules White House UFC Fight for His 80th Birthday After Sharing Plans for the Dramatic Stage

President Donald Trump plans to celebrate his 80th birthday with a UFC fight on the White House Lawn.

“On June 14 next year, we’re gonna have a big UFC fight at the White House, right at the White House, on the grounds of the White House,” Trump, 79, said during his Sunday, Oct. 5 speech at the Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia. 

Last month, the White House shared a glimpse at the dramatic ring that will be built outside the historic residence — complete with a brightly lit cage and two large screens — on X alongside the caption, “SEE YOU ON THE SOUTH LAWN @UFC.”

Along with commemorating his own birthday, Trump previously announced that the big event will also be a celebration of America’s 250th birthday as part of nationwide celebrations he’s previously dubbed “America250.”

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While speaking to a crowd at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in July, Trump promised that the celebrations will be held at “every one of our National Parks, battlefields and historic sites.” In the process, he leveraged his long-standing relationship with UFC owner and CEO Dana White to bring some more excitement to Washington, D.C.

“Does anybody watch UFC? The great Dana White? We’re going to have a UFC fight. We’re going to have a UFC fight — think of this — on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there,” Trump said at the time.

The politician attended multiple UFC fights during his 2024 presidential campaign, including a March 2024 event in Miami where the crowd chanted “F— Joe Biden!” The following November, he and Elon Musk also shared photos from UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden alongside White, 56, Kid Rock and other fans. 

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“We’re going to build a little [octagon]. We’re not, Dana is going to do it. Dana is great, one of a kind,” Trump continued of their 2026 plans. “[There’s] going to be a UFC fight, championship fight, full fight, like 20,000 to 25,000 people, and we’re going to do that as part of ‘250’ also.”

Soon after, White emphasized that “it’s absolutely going to happen.” As he told The Associated Press in August, “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.”