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 expected 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+.
