A plan to host an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event at the White House to celebrate America's 250th anniversary, or semiquincentennial, on July 4, 2026, is going to happen, according to the CEO of the league.
Here's the latest update and the two stocks that could benefit from the large-scale event.
UFC Says Yes to the White House
On the heels of announcing a large media rights deal with Paramount Skydance Corporation (NASDAQ:PSKY), UFC CEO Dana White confirms that talks are underway between the mixed martial arts organization and the White House.
White confirmed that President Donald Trump is planning a UFC fight on the White House lawn on July 4, 2026. White also said Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump is helping with the details of the fighting event.
"It is definitely going to happen," White told "CBS Mornings" Tuesday morning.
White said he spoke with Trump Monday night and discussed the event. White plans to meet with both Trump and Ivanka Trump at the end of August to finalize plans and look at renderings of what the fight could look like.
"When he called and asked me to do it, he said, ';I want Ivanka in the middle of this.' So Ivanka reached out to me, and … I started talking about the possibilities."
The event at the White House would have significantly lower attendance than other UFC events, with fight events regularly filling arenas with tens of thousands of fans.
In an interview with Forbes, White confirmed plans for the UFC event at the White House and compared the event to being similar to the Las Vegas event hosted at the Sphere venue last year, calling it a "one of one" experience.
The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is July 4, 2026, and watching professional fighters beat each other up at the White House could be one of the key celebrations for Americans across the country.
A UFC fight would also mark the first pro sports event hosted at the White House, assuming the fight happens.
Given Trump and White's friendship and Trump attending many UFC fights in the past, the likelihood of the event happening remains high and given White's comments Tuesday is even more likely to happen.
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UFC, Paramount Deal Could Get 2026 Boost
There could be two stocks that get increased attention heading into the UFC Fight at the White House. The UFC is owned by TKO Group Holdings Inc (NYSE:TKO), a sports conglomerate that also owns WWE.
The other stock to watch is Paramount Skydance, which beat other competing parties, including reported interest from Netflix, to secure the U.S. rights to UFC fights.
Paramount Skydance is paying $7.7 billion for the seven-year U.S. rights to UFC, which will include making fights free on streaming platform Paramount+ and airing some fights on CBS.
"Live sports, you have to watch live. You have to tune in. It is a destination watch," White said. "Sports are a big deal to these streaming services."
Paramount Skydance’s coverage of UFC fights begins in 2026, after a previous deal between the fighting league and ESPN ends.
White hinted that the large scale of the White House fight would likely mean airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. Viewership for such a sports event could be high and help provide a boost to the media company.
Paramount Skydance will have several months ahead of the fight to launch promotions and target advertisers for the event. For a company that just signed a $7.7 billion deal, being part of a White House first in its first year of coverage could be a huge starting point.
PSKY, TKO Price Action: Paramount Skydance stock closed Tuesday up 8.40% at $10.97 versus a 52-week trading range of $9.95 to $12.79. The stock is up 3.7% year-to-date in 2025.
TKO Group stock closed Tuesday 3.34% to $186.02 on Tuesday versus a 52-week trading range of $113.16 to $187.01. The stock hit new all-time highs Tuesday and shares are up 30.3% year-to-date in 2025.
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