Overview
- President Trump hosted Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje, Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane on Wednesday in the Oval Office and displayed renderings of a 4,000–5,000 seat arena on the South Lawn.
- Organizers said tens of thousands will watch from the Ellipse on eight big screens, with UFC planning about 85,000 free tickets and a Paramount+ exclusive stream.
- The June 14 card features Topuria vs. Gaethje and Pereira vs. Gane as part of America250 and Flag Day, with fighters posing for promotional faceoffs on the South Lawn.
- UFC CEO Dana White said on the Katie Miller Podcast that he “doesn’t give a sh*t” if loyalty to Trump has cost the promotion business.
- There is a dispute over a shelved Topuria matchup with Islam Makhachev, with Topuria, Makhachev and White giving conflicting explanations for why it did not happen.