Roundtable: Which stars should fight at the UFC White House event?

New Flag Poles Installed On White House Grounds — Donald Trump and the White House | Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Earlier this month, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, dropped a metaphorical bombshell, declaring that next summer, the White House will host a UFC event on its lawn, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

While it’s entirely possible that won’t happen, it’s also entirely possible it will, given Trump’s deep ties to the UFC and UFC CEO Dana White. White certainly picked up the ball and ran with it, as did fans and fighters, all wondering what such an event might look like.

Well, we’ve solved it.

Though it’s a year away, MMA Fighting’s Alexander K. Lee and Jed Meshew put their heads together to figure out what MMA fans can expect on July 4, 2026.

Lee: First off, let me be clear, I’m firmly in the “entirely possible it won’t happen” camp both due to logistical reasons (the security measures alone will be a nightmare), and the fact that I’ve learned to take any bold proclamation from Trump or White with a grain of salt.

But if we must.

Immediately, I’m ruling out this event following the standard 10-15 fights format we’ve all grown accustomed to. This should be a primetime event that’s all killer and no filler, a five-bout card showcasing only the best that America has to offer. And yes, I’m leaning all the way into the Independence Day theme and having all these Americans face British opposition. This could get ugly.

At the top? You guessed it: Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall! I was probably one of the last holdouts insisting these two would meet in the octagon someday, and even when Jones announced his retirement, I still wasn’t fully convinced the matchup was dead. Now, with Jones teasing his availability for UFC White House (and yes, I’m well aware the aforementioned grain of salt also applies to Jones), this is my only choice for a headliner.

In the co-main event, we’re bringing in one of the biggest stars currently on the UFC roster, though not on the U.S. side. Paddy Pimblett, come on down! And standing across from “The Baddy” is Trump’s favorite former interim UFC welterweight champion, Colby Covington. Whether Pimblett goes up in weight, Covington goes down, or they meet at a catchweight, it doesn’t matter. Instant July 4 fireworks.

You know Sean Strickland has to get an invitation, so the master of talking loudly and carrying a foam stick into the octagon gets the call to fight London’s Michael Page. This fight could be absolutely awful, so seeing folks cageside trying to gas it up will be hilarious.

Kayla Harrison is another auto-inclusion for me, given she’s the only current American UFC champion. Guess what? It doesn’t matter who we put in there with her, because we just want to see the two-time Olympic champion and bantamweight queen do what she does best, which is maul. Congratulations, Melissa Mullins, your sacrifice will not be in vain (kidding, it definitely will be).

And opening the card is a dream fight that should have happened years ago: Jorge Masvidal vs. Leon Edwards. This matchup is waaaaaaay past its prime, but Masvidal has long been one of Trump’s staunchest supporters, and if we can kill two birds with one stone here by appeasing El Presidente and also finally putting this beef to rest, let’s do it.

AMERICA.

Lee’s main card:

Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall

Paddy Pimblett vs. Colby Covington

Sean Strickland vs. MVP

Kayla Harrison vs. Melissa Mullins

Jorge Masvidal vs. Leon Edwards

Meshew: Of course, a Canadian doesn’t have any idea what a truly AMERICAN card would look like. Thankfully, I’m as American as it gets, and I know exactly what a spectacle like this doesn’t just need, but demands.

First off, let me just say, I think this actually happens. Would I bet my life on it? No. But Donald Trump is a big supporter of the UFC, who are big supporters of him. This feels like something that is very much possible, even if maybe it looks a little different than we’re imagining. After all, “Fight Island” just ended up being Yas Island, a place they’d held events at before. Maybe they just hold a UFC event in DC, and not on the White House lawn, but something is going to happen next 4th of July.

And while the idea of Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones is fun, it’s also foolhardy. First, Jon Jones is never fighting Aspinall. He’s simply not going to do it. He might say he’ll do it, but when push comes to shove, he won’t, because if he were going to, he would have.

But more importantly, you don’t want that fight to happen because it would be a real bummer for Aspinall to starch Jones on the White House lawn on July 4th. Honestly, that might just mean the entire country reverts to being an English colony. Nobody wants that.

Besides, for as big as that fight is, it’s still not big enough. A UFC event on the White House lawn would be the biggest spectacle in the history of the sport. And the biggest spectacle requires the biggest star. That’s right, our main event is the long-awaited Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler.

“But Jed, Conor is never going to fight again!” Normally, I’d agree with you, but this is the exception. While Jones is concerned about his legacy, and what a loss might mean, McGregor couldn’t care less. “Notorious” is in this game to acquire as much money and influence as possible, and this is one of the few fights that could offer him enough of both. Plus, and most importantly, we should assume the President has some influence over things here. He’s going to get to call for what he wants, and if there’s one thing Trump always wants, it’s for the biggest things possible. McGregor vs. Chandler for the President’s Belt, that’s your main event.

But the co-main event may somehow end up being even bigger, because again, we’re going as big as possible. And what’s the biggest fight talked about over the past several years? That’s right, it’s Mark Zuckerberg vs. Elon Musk. Can’t you just see it? A farcical, ludicrous fight between two of the richest men on the planet could only ever happen at the White House. And with the on-again-off-again relationship between Trump and Musk, and White’s ties to Zuckerberg, let’s just get this done.

With those two fight atop the bill, the rest of the card hardly matters. Basically, every fighter in the UFC will want in on the action, but only a chosen few will get the call. I agree with AK that Masvidal vs. Edwards makes sense and probably fills out the main card, but I’m less confident in Strickland appearing (his Tweets are all over the place these days). Instead, I’ll round out the main card with Henry Cejudo taking on Chito Vera and a fight that makes almost no sense beyond catering to the Commander-in-Chief, Colby Covington vs. Kevin Holland.

Buckle up, kids. UFC White House is going to be quite the show.

Meshew’s main card:

Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler