All articles tagged with #white house card
TKO Group Holdings disclosed a roughly $30 million loss from UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, noting no live gate and initial costs exceeding $60 million offset in part by sponsorships; despite the one-off expense, UFC revenue rose 29% year over year in Q2 2026 thanks to a new Paramount media-rights deal.
Steve Garcia reflects on his first-round knockout loss to Diego Lopes on the UFC White House card, citing mistakes (getting drawn into a brawl and missing defensive cues), weather-delayed warmups, and the absence of coach Greg Jackson in his corner. Returning home, he shared the defeat with his young son, who cried, a moment that deeply motivated Garcia to train harder and pursue a faster return to title contention.
Jon Jones says the UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House lawn humbled him and made his legacy feel bigger, even though he wasn’t added to the card; Dana White said Jones was never in consideration. He credits MMA’s growth and the historic prestige of the event with elevating his standing in the sport’s history.
UFC boosted its post-fight bonuses for the White House card after sponsor World Liberty Financial adds $250,000, pushing Fight of the Night to $400,000 per fighter and both Performance of the Night awards to $425,000 each; 14 fighters across seven bouts will share a total of $1.65 million in bonuses, with the show airing Sunday on Paramount+.
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland says he was banned from attending the White House card due to his criticisms of Trump and Israel, though the UFC has not publicly confirmed the ban and attendance details are unclear since the event reportedly had no public ticket sales.
Colby Covington informed the UFC of his retirement after being removed from the roster amid frustration with matchmaking and missing a spot on the White House card; the former interim welterweight champion leaves MMA with a 17-5 record and plans to focus on a third RAF wrestling match against Chris Weidman, signaling a potential permanent shift away from MMA if no new opportunities arise.
Dana White told reporters that Jon Jones won’t be on the UFC White House card due to reliability concerns, despite Jones claiming a $15 million offer; White says negotiations produced other matchups and, with the card finalized, Jones isn’t participating.
Jon Jones says he was negotiating to fight on the UFC’s White House card but was offered only about $15 million, far below the roughly $30 million reportedly offered to face Tom Aspinall. Dana White had claimed Jones wasn’t seriously considered for the event, and Jones even asked for his release after the dispute. The White House card ultimately wasn’t Jones’s fight, instead Pereira faced Ciryl Gane for an interim heavyweight title.
Colby Covington blasted the UFC for leaving him off the White House event lineup, claiming no fight was offered and suggesting the promotion may want him to meet the Malott/Burns winner instead; he remains active with a March 28 bout against Dillon Danis. Bo Nickal replied on social media that he could face Covington instead of Kyle Daukaus if the fight isn’t signed, continuing their ongoing feud. The card’s other announced fights include Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje and Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane for an interim title, highlighting ongoing scheduling tensions around UFC’s events.
MMA Fighting’s roundtable analyzes the official UFC White House card for June 14, headlined by Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje (unification) and Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane (interim heavyweight), with about six bouts and potential additions. The panel says the lineup is solid but not the earth-shattering spectacle promised, praising Topuria-Gaethje and Pereira-Gane as standout clashes while criticizing bouts like O’Malley-Zahabi (and Bo Nickal-Daukaus by some) as mismatches or less compelling. Overall grades are mixed (B to C), reflecting disappointment at the hype but recognition that the event still offers meaningful title implications and engaging narratives without living up to the “greatest card ever” billing.
MMA veteran Matt Brown criticized the UFC’s White House card, saying the six-fight lineup and the promotion’s hype fall short of the “once-in-a-lifetime” spectacle it promoted, questioning why lesser-known fighters were booked when more recognizable names were wanted; the event is headlined by Topuria-Gaethje with Pereira-Gane for an interim heavyweight title, but Brown argues the marketing overshadows the matchup quality.
Amid rumors of a last-minute, lowball offer for UFC’s White House card, Ilia Topuria’s team rejected early numbers, but Topuria ultimately secured the main-event slot on UFC 326, with his manager suggesting the promotion’s offer was far below what they sought and UFC had briefly explored different matchups before finalizing the card.
Former UFC champion Jon Jones asked for his release from the UFC amid a public dispute with Dana White over negotiations for the White House card, claiming he was lowballed while White said Jones would not be on the June 14 event; Jones cited ongoing contract talks and his hip issues as context, as the card ultimately features Illia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje for the lightweight title while Jones had previously turned down big offers.
Charles Oliveira dominated Max Holloway for 25 minutes at UFC 326, raising questions about the relevance of the BMF belt as analysts suggest the title may be retired or moved aside in favor of Oliveira pursuing the real lightweight belt. The event also featured the announcement of the UFC White House card, while Holloway’s next steps and a slate of potential matchups for him and other fighters were debated, with fans and pundits expressing mixed reactions to the card’s entertainment value.
Gaethje says he was told days before the White House card that he wouldn’t fight, then learned he would headline against Ilia Topuria at UFC 326, as he prepares for a dangerous matchup and a potential legacy moment in the historic event.