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With less than a week until UFC Freedom 250, anticipation for the event is at an all-time high.
This Sunday, the world's premier MMA organization will host its first, and likely only, event at the White House, staging one of the year's most talked-about sporting spectacles: cage fights on the residence's lawn. The fight night is part of the America 250 project, commemorating the United States' 250th anniversary. As the event draws near, UFC CEO Dana White expressed his astonishment that it's actually happening.
"This is definitely a one-of-a-kind event," White told TNT Fight Sports. "And when you think about where we started, how this whole sport began, and how it was condemned in the United States, heading to the White House now is pretty surreal."
White and the UFC are no strangers to organizing special, one-off events. The most recent example is the 2024 fight night at the Sphere in Las Vegas, dedicated to Mexican Independence. That event featured numerous unique promotional elements and reportedly cost the organization $20 million. UFC White House will be significantly more expensive, but White promises an even grander experience.
"The Sphere event should have won every possible production award," White said. "It didn't. Which doesn't surprise me, it's very political. If we don't win every production award for the White House fight, they just need to stop giving out those awards, because it will be a complete lie."
"The main event fighters will walk out of the Oval Office," White added. "The entrances and everything surrounding this fight are incredible and truly unique."
Whether UFC White House will win any accolades remains to be seen, but the event has certainly garnered immense attention. White and his team believe this attention will lead to the biggest event in MMA history.
"For UFC fans worldwide, this is a very unique experience for everyone," White said. "We're expecting Super Bowl-level viewership for this fight."
For comparison, Super Bowl XL, held in February, attracted an average of 124.9 million viewers in the United States. The most-watched MMA event in the US to date is the Netflix fight night featuring Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, which took place in May and drew 9 million viewers domestically.
UFC White House will take place this Sunday, June 14th, with the main event being a lightweight title bout between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje.
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