Dana White called in to The Pat McAfee Show fresh off a Meta board meeting in Palo Alto, California, and immediately got into what may be the most ambitious live event of his career.
White explained that he is currently balancing three different businesses at once, saying he has been “just crazy busy.” Between the UFC, his boxing promotion Zuffa, and Power Slap, White said everything is thriving, although putting together the upcoming White House event has created plenty of chaos behind the scenes.
The event, titled Freedom 250, is scheduled to take place on the South Lawn of the White House, while 75,000 fans per day are expected at the Ellipse. White revealed that the promotion is also planning a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial along with weigh-ins and a full-scale fanfest experience.
A major focus for the UFC boss has been designing what he called “the claw,” a lighting system built specifically to preserve the visual backdrop of Washington, D.C. during the matches.
“When we’re filming this event, you won’t see a light, a microphone, any lighting grid,” White explained. “All you will see is the full White House in the back while you’re watching the fig ht.”
Depending on the camera angle, viewers may also see the Washington Monument in the background during the broadcast.
Despite the ambitious vision, the construction process has already run into several problems. White said constant rain in Washington has slowed preparations considerably.
“It rained like eight days straight in DC since my team’s been out there building that thing,” he said.
Things became even more complicated when an intruder situation near the White House temporarily shut down operations.
“Some guy shows up and starts sh**ting. They lock my team down for like three hours,” White revealed.
Even with the disruption, White said the focus quickly shifted back to finishing the event on time.
“When that happened, it’s just about getting the work done,” he said. “Now we got two weeks to do all the bells and whistles and get this event done.”
White also used the interview to discuss the UFC’s upcoming summer schedule, confirming that Conor McGregor is set to return against Max Holloway during International Fig ht Week. He added that Benoit Saint Denis is expected to face Paddy Pimblett on the same card.
Looking ahead at the months to come, White said the UFC is “down the barrel of an amazing summer.”
The UFC president also touched on his new partnership with Paramount, explaining that the deal gives him a seven-year window to continue expanding his brands.
“They have already been incredible partners to us,” White said. “They’re so fired up about being in business with us.”
White added that his long-term vision is to “take boxing, slap, and UFC to places that we’ve never been before.”
