President Donald Trump on Thursday night announced that he would host an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight at the White House next year as part of the United States’ 250th birthday celebration.
Trump is known to support the sport and has been spotted at multiple matches in the past. He is also a friend of UFC CEO Dana White.
“Every one of our national parks, battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honor of ‘America250’ and I even think we’re going to have a UFC fight,” Trump said in remarks at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. “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 that White will be the person responsible for making the fight happen, but said there will be other events to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday as well.
“We’re going to have some incredible events, some professional events, some amateur events. But the UFC fight is going to be a big deal, too,” he said.
Other planned events include reenactments at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and national parks across the country. A complete guide to events to mark the country’s birthday can be found here.
