UFC Freedom – Dana White says the UFC’s White House event on June 14 will likely lose about $30 million, even as he ramps up a celebrity-heavy card and takes aim at criticism over UFC match-making and public mental health disclosures. President Donald Trump helped push the
On a day when the White House lawn is supposed to look pristine, the UFC is preparing for blood and bruises—June 14, South Lawn, with President Donald Trump expected to watch.
The spectacle has its own timetable. Dana White. the UFC CEO. is in final preparations mode. talking about “bells and whistles” that must be dialed in before “execute that night. ” insisting the organization will “absolutely. positively deliver.” The event. branded UFC Freedom 250. is shaping up as one of the most audacious sports performances ever staged at the White House.
White’s planning also includes a public-facing roster that stretches beyond fighters. In a story that drew wide attention, White said he invited a mix of major celebrities to the event: Adam Sandler, Guy Ritchie, Tom Brady, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jared Leto, Jason Statham and Mario Lopez.
White also made clear that for all the pageantry. the UFC is treating the event as both a gamble and a marketing engine. He told Time the company expects to lose about $30 million on the show. But TKO Group Holdings’ President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro—UFC’s parent company—frames the risk differently: “This is the greatest earned marketing tool of all time. ” Shapiro said. calling it a “once-in-a-generation moment” and arguing that the attention. awareness. and global sampling from that single day will outweigh what could be achieved over an entire year.
Even the matchup narrative has become part of the headline. Ilia Topuria will press Donald Trump about matchmaking, setting the tone for how the event’s political setting and fighter intensity collide. Topuria and Justin Gaethje face off for the first time before UFC’s White House title unifier.
But the card comes with pointed omissions and disagreements that White has handled publicly.
Jon Jones is the most visible example. While White has repeatedly called Jones the greatest fighter in UFC history. Jones still will not be on the White House card. White told Time he has a different view of why—saying he had to build a card he believes will show up. “And Jon Jones is the least dependable guy that you could ever know,” White said. Jones, for his part, has said he was “lowballed during negotiations over pay,” according to the account.
White’s comments also extended to how the UFC should handle personal vulnerabilities in public life. White told Time he is against the public disclosure of mental health problems, saying, “Don’t show that weakness to anybody.”
That stance sits alongside White’s insistence that he wants a fight card assembled with confidence—an attitude now colliding with how fans interpret the event’s casting choices.
One controversial guest history also follows White into this week’s spotlight. Last year, White invited Andrew and Tristan Tate to one of his “Power Slap” events. The Tate brothers currently face charges of rape and human trafficking in Romania and Great Britain. and they have denied the charges. When White welcomed Andrew Tate to his event in March 2025. he embraced him—saying. “I have no beef with those guys.”.
The origin story of UFC Freedom 250 runs straight through Trump’s orbit. Time reports that Trump initiated the idea, leaning over to White at the 2024 Madison Square Garden fight 11 days after his re-election and suggesting a White House card.
Initially, Trump objected to Joe Rogan calling the event a “gimmick.” Trump later pivoted. “At first I thought, ‘That’s not nice,’” Trump told Time. “And then I realized, it is a gimmick. Life is a gimmick, if you think about it, right?. But it’s a good gimmick. It’s something that will never happen again. Nobody will ever have the privilege of doing something like this in front of the White House. It’s going to be very unique. It’s going to be amazing. I think it’s great for America, frankly.”.
For all the talk of ambition, one line in the planning has drawn attention because it’s about who isn’t included. The seven-fight card for the White House event will not include women.
White told Time, “We did try to make a women’s fight,” but “We couldn’t get it done.” He said he wanted Zhang Weili of China and Mackenzie Dern, an American and Brazilian fighter, to face off in a title bout, but he told the magazine Zhang is taking time off from fighting.
The picture that emerges from White and Trump’s remarks is a high-stakes convergence—global spectacle, celebrity access, and a stadium-sized marketing pitch—built on hard decisions about availability, dependability, and what match-making can actually deliver by deadline.
White’s insistence on delivering on June 14 runs headlong into the gaps still visible in the final card. The event may be “the most historic sporting event in history. ” as White says it will be. but the choices—who’s in. who’s out. and why—are already becoming part of the story before the first round even begins.
UFC Freedom 250 Dana White Donald Trump White House event Mark Shapiro TKO Group Holdings Ilia Topuria Justin Gaethje Jon Jones UFC card celebrity guest list UFC women’s fight omission Zhang Weili Mackenzie Dern