WASHINGTON — In the overnight hours after the completion of UFC’s audacious and controversial Freedom 250 event at the White House, UFC president Dana White stood in awe of what happened this past weekend.
He was very clear, though, that there will be no repeat occurrence at The People’s House—despite what U.S. President Donald Trump or anyone else might ask.
“I can’t afford it,” White said in a post-fight press conference when asked about staging another White House event. “There’s no fucking way we can do this again. I’ll never do the Sphere again, and we’ll never do this again.”
UFC went to Freedom 250 expecting to lose about $30 million from the event, recouping only half of the $60 million the fights cost to put on. The mixed-martial arts showcase, however, drew nearly 200,000 people over the weekend to the Ellipse, adjacent to the South Lawn where the fights were held. Merchandise sales, meanwhile, doubled the prior UFC record, and White said Paramount CEO David Ellison was pleased with the event’s impact on the Paramount+ streaming service.
Specific viewership figures from UFC Freedom 250 haven’t yet been disclosed, but the fight is projected to be a sizable lift for Paramount+.
“In every way you can measure success … it was monstrous tonight. You don’t get calls from billionaires flipping out too often,” White said of Ellison.
White, however, said he has no appetite for staging any future events outdoors after grappling all weekend with weather uncertainty.
“I don’t ever want to fucking be outside again,” he said. “There’s just too much.”
White then asked the winning fighters what they thought of fighting outdoors, and they responded they particularly enjoyed the evening breezes. But White quickly retorted, “Still no” about going outside again.
As for the fighting, UFC defied critics within MMA complaining that the seven-bout card was light on star power and impact. Instead, all seven of the matches ended in a knockout or technical knockout, a first in UFC history. The headline lightweight unification match, won by Justin Gaethje over Ilia Topuria, was a battle for the ages as Gaethje gritted out a bruising, four-round win in which he ultimately sent the former champion Topuria to the hospital.
“It was incredible. It was an amazing experience,” White said. “This was a one-of-one that will never happen again.”
Political Divides
White, meanwhile, again sought to frame UFC Freedom 250 as a politically neutral event, despite it being the brainchild of U.S. President Donald Trump and the extensive conservative commentary and presence around it.
“This event was for America’s 250th birthday. There was no other political agenda for the event, or anything like that. … I was just honored to be the person [Trump] trusted to deliver tonight. I hope that everybody, as an American, feels that we did.”
After heavyweight Josh Hokit beat Derrick Lewis, Hokit—a disruptive presence all weekend with his absurdist antics and comments—concluded his post-match interview with UFC announcer Joe Rogan that “Michelle Obama is a man!” Early Monday, White sought to distance himself from Hokit’s remark.
“I understand that the Obamas are public figures, but I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families,” White told Time magazine. “Everyone knows my position on free speech, but I hate that kind of nonsense.”
There are developing efforts between White and Trump, meanwhile, to stage future, military-themed UFC events at various bases.
