Who will fight at UFC White House event? Ten stars who could carry the card

This summer, the UFC plans to hold an unprecedented show at the White House, which could feature numerous huge fights on the South Lawn – as part of a series of events to commemorate the United States’ 250th anniversary.

Scheduled for 14 June, the day that Donald Trump will turn 80, the card is set to feature a host of high-profile fighters, with the US president claiming “almost every fight [on the card]” will be a championship contest.

And while Ari Emanuel – CEO of the UFC’s ownership group, TKO – has now said “six to seven” fights are expected, as opposed to the “eight or nine” predicted by Mr Trump, that has obviously done nothing to quell rumours about possible match-ups. Furthermore, a number of top stars have publicly called their shot to be involved.

Elsewhere, there has been talk of snipers and limited fan access.

With UFC president Dana White, a close friend of Mr Trump, saying matchmaking will start in February, here are 10 fighters The Independent thinks could feature on the card:

Despite Dana White confirming that the Irishman will not be facing Michael Chandler after years of build, the UFC icon has also been rumoured to fight Jorge Masvidal at the White House and has claimed to be starting negotiations for a new UFC contract as soon as February. McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg in 2021, though.

Tied to a potential showdown with light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, the controversial American has seemed more receptive to fighting the Brazilian than heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall, despite a long saga in which the pair each held a version of the belt in that division. Don’t forget Jones’s celebration directed at Trump after beating Stipe Miocic in 2024. Actually, Jones retired from MMA last summer, only to claim days later that he would return for the White House event, but White openly said he does not trust Jones – who has a history of failed drug tests and arrests.

While Dana White said a fight between Masvidal and McGregor is “goofy s***”, the former “Baddest Motherf*****” (BMF) belt holder has been hinting that such a fight is close, and he has gone as far as to say: “The White House card, for me, is everything.” A White House fight would be Masvidal’s first in the UFC since he retired from MMA in 2023.

A big American name in the sport, O’Malley has been vocal about how he wants to fight Petr Yan on the White House card, although Merab Dvalishvili said no Russian fighters will be competing at the event – seemingly ruling out the likes of Islam Mackhachev, too – but O’Malley’s eagerness for the event could lead him to star. Will he feature if he fails against Song Yadong on 24 January, though?

The former middleweight champion has said he is open to fighting on the card as long as one condition is met, which is that he hopes some “actual” fans of the sport are there rather than people without a genuine interest in MMA. Based on what we know, he shouldn’t get his hopes up… Either way, having “Izzy” on the card would still represent a big draw. First he must beat Joe Pyfer in a tricky test in March.

Lewis failed to get over the line against Waldo Cortes-Acosta in January, when a win would have conveniently set him up to fight on the South Lawn. The “Black Beast” himself called the mega-card a “on[c]e in a lifetime” opportunity, and, like Masvidal, Lewis can claim to be one of Trump’s favourite fighters – so don’t rule him out yet.

Having already been called out by featherweight Jean Silva to fight for the BMF title at the White House, Holloway immediately shut this down by calling Silva “a weirdo”, but a fighter like Holloway with such an exciting style could easily catch the eyes of the higher-ups. First, he takes on Charles Oliveira in a mouthwatering BMF title defence in March.

At the time of writing, the women’s strawweight champion is one of just two American title holders in the UFC. The other, Kayla Harrison, is recovering from a major neck injury. So, Dern would make sense to feature, and a defence against predecessor Zhang Weili could make for a spectacular clash.

Topuria’s return to the sport, after his hiatus due to personal reasons, could line up with the event, as he replied “April-June” to a fan on X, who asked when he was planning on returning. The lightweight champion’s bitter rival Paddy Pimblett failed to win the interim version of Topuria’s belt in January, but his conqueror Justin Gaethje may get a shot at Topuria this summer.

Despite seemingly taking himself out of the mix, “Poatan” remains linked to a possible fight with Jones. White hasn’t ruled out a bout between the pair, and it would likely make for one of the biggest main events in UFC history. Perhaps Pereira’s “no-go” comment on the White House was simply a negotiation tactic…