President Donald Trump is hosting a UFC fight on White House grounds to celebrate his 80th birthday and the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Nixon man seen twerking on Jeep in video dies days after March crash in Port AransasDoorbell camera helps San Antonio police foil kidnapping-ransom scheme targeting seniorCold front brings 20 degree temperature drop to regionRead full article: 6 p.
m. cold front: Prepare for gusty winds, cooler temperatures92-year-old Pearsall man’s finger amputated after stray dog attack in his own backyardFILE - People hold a flag as President-elect Donald Trump arrives at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. FILE - President-elect Donald Trump talks to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., at a UFC 309 mixed martial arts flyweight title bout, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. FILE - Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump talks with UFC CEO Dana White at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. FILE - President Donald Trump attends the UFC-316 mixed martial arts event, at the Prudential Center, June 7, 2025, in Newark, N.J., as UFC's Dana White, left, looks on. FILE - President Donald Trump congratulates Georgia's Merab Dvalishvili, after he won his bantamweight title bout against Sean O'Malley, during the UFC-316 mixed martial arts event, at the Prudential Center, June 7, 2025, in Newark, N.J. FILE - People hold a flag as President-elect Donald Trump arrives at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. In the coming weeks, crews will erect a 6-foot wire-mesh fence shaped into an octagon on the lawn, where UFC fighters will use a combination of kickboxing, jiujitsu, wrestling and other martial arts in a June 14The celebration of bloody, brute force dovetails with Trump’s gleefully combative charisma and extreme ideological masculinity — a brawling, no-holds-barred approach to the highest office in the land. “I have respect for fighters, you know, when you can take 200 shots to the face and then look forward to the second round,” Trump told podcaster Logan Paul as he campaigned for his second term. Trump was the first sitting president to attend a UFC show, taking in a 2019 fight that was stopped because of a cut over the loser's eye that“A lot of people don’t understand fighting and they think fighting is about anger. It’s not. If you’re angry when you fight, you’ll lose,” said veteran MMA referee and commentator “Fighting is about technique and style, and understanding how to make your opponent make mistakes while you don’t," McCarthy said.A committed devotee of hyperbole, Trump relishes grand descriptors that can elevate anything to its “ultimate” version. He also proudly fancies himself a fighter: “Fight! Fight! Fight!” became his 2024 campaign mantra, one crystalized after an Then there is “championship,” another thing close to the heart of a president who constantly professes love for winning and those who do it frequently.“is calculated. He knows what he's doing,” said Kyle Kusz, a University of Rhode Island professor who studies the connection between sports and the far right. Trump “uses UFC to portray himself as a manly sportsman,” said Kusz, who said he sees parallels between the sport's style of masculinity and Trump's approach to policy and politics., a longtime friend, will build “a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House” and eight large screens in a nearby park for ticket-holders to watch from afar. The show falls on a Sunday, deviating from UFC’s usual Saturday night time slot, and will be carried live on Paramount+, which is controlled by the Ellison family, also close allies of Trump. France even pushed back the Group of Seven summit it is hosting so as not to conflict with Trump’s birthday festivities.Trump has boasted that the event will feature “all top guys.” But fans online have panned the card for lacking top talent such as former two-division champion Jon Jones, who requested his release from the UFC immediately after being excluded from the White House show. Also absent is MMA icon, whose first bout since 2021 would have been a seismic moment for the sport. The UFC's White “knows the White House card sucks,” said former champion Ronda Rousey, who is mounting her own MMA comeback outside the UFC because she says the promotion would not meet her financial expectations.Ciryl GaneThe White House did not answer questions about criticism of the card or the event's aggressive politics. Instead, communications director Steven Cheung, said, “This will be one of the greatest and most historic sports events in history.” Cheung, a UFC spokesman before joining Trump's 2016 campaign, called Trump’s event"a testament to his vision to celebrate America’s monumental 250th anniversary.”Once famously derided as “human cockfighting” by late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., UFC has been a major sports league in the United States since signing a media-rights deal with ESPN in 2018, said Patrick Wyman, a historian and host of popular podcasts on the subject who is also a former longtime MMA journalist. Trump, a fixture at heavyweight boxing matches in the 1980s, gave UFC a boost a generation ago by hosting early bouts, including 2001’s “Battle on the Boardwalk,” at his casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Wyman said that even as Trump and White have remained close, UFC has deliberately prioritized building the league's brand over that of its individual fighters. That has kept most stars from achieving crossover appeal. As a result, Wyman said UFC remains most popular with men in their mid-40s to early 60s — a demographic already inclined to be Trump supporters. “I think it’s a pretty perfect encapsulation of the way that Donald Trump thinks about politics," Wyman said of the White House event, citing its “transactional nature” and"how impossible it is to draw firm lines between business and politics.” In 2014, Trump invested in his own, short-lived MMA league. A decade later, his reelection campaign enhanced his UFC ties,in June 2024, Trump went to a UFC bout in New Jersey, strolling out into the crowd with White while Kid Rock’s “American Bad Ass” blared. Trump's campaign used footage of the raucous ovation to helpwith House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and a large political entourage at a UFC fight in New York. He also attended UFC bouts in Republican George W. Bush zinging a pitch in from Yankee Stadium’s mound during the 2001 World Series is remembered as a moment of resilience after the Sept. 11 attacks. Republican Richard Nixon so publicly embraced his football fandom that aides worried it might alienate some voters, said Chris Cillizza, author of “Power Players: Sports, Politics, and the American Presidency." Such worries are gone today, though, since sports “now tends to self-select by political affiliation," he said. “In an era where people feel like politicians are mostly weirdo aliens," Cillizza said"sports — playing them, having knowledge about them — represents one of the best ways to prove to voters you are actually a human being."Associated Press writers Greg Beacham in Los Angeles and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Proposed border wall threatens prehistoric cave artHundreds of millions of dollars lost each year to scams at crypto ATMsFamily reacts to guilty verdict in Christopher Preciado trialCastle Hills police department says the armed suspect shot this morning has diedRecords show New Braunfels ISD pulling, restricting more books than it has publicly listed74 year old woman hit crossing South General McMullenNew emissions test could cost Bexar County vehicle ownersSan Antonio attorney admits stealing over half a million dollars from children's inheritance.Spurs respond after viral video at game sparks backlashReuniting items found along the Guadalupe River after the deadly floods
Ilia Topuria Conor Mcgregor Richard Nixon John Mccain Dana White Justin Gaethje Donald Trump Sports Alex Periera Chris Cillizza Jon Jones Logan Paul Mike Johnson Patrick Wyman George W. Bush Steven Cheung
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Bill Maher will win Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain humor prize following White House denialThe Kennedy Center has presented the award since 1998 as a way to recognize those who have made significant contributions to humor and commentary in the United States.
Read more »
Bill Maher will win the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain humor prize following White House denialThe Associated Press
Read more »
White House Humiliated as Trump Foe, 70, Awarded Kennedy Center PrizeTrump’s administration insisted that the president’s latest nemesis would not be awarded the coveted prize.
Read more »
Bill Maher will win the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain humor prize following White House denialBill Maher will win the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor after the White House denied that the comedian, who has had a hot-and-cold relationship with President Trump, would win it.
Read more »
Trump Leaks Big Reveal About Iran’s Mystery Gift to U.S.The president revealed what the “present” from Iran was after White House staff was left baffled.
Read more »
UFC brings cage-match bout to the White House, home of a president who favors cage-match politicsPresident Donald Trump is hosting a UFC fight on White House grounds to celebrate his 80th birthday and the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Read more »