Dana White appeared on The Bret Boone Podcast where he talked about how UFC’s planned 250th event ended up at the White House.
According to White, it all started during a UFC event at Madison Square Garden.
“We were in an event at Madison Square Garden and the president leaned over to me and said, ‘You know what? We should do an event at the White House,’” White recalled. “And I said, ‘Yes, yes, we should do an event at the White House.’”
White explained that the conversation quickly turned into real planning.
“On Monday, the White House started calling to start trying to figure out logistics and how we could do it and when we could do it,” he said. “But he wanted to do it for America’s 250th birthday. That’s what it’s for.”
Boone then asked whether White immediately believed Trump was serious or if it initially sounded like an offhand comment that might never materialize. White made it clear that, in his experience, Trump follows through on what he says.
“He’s a guy’s guy. He’s like a ball buster,” White said. “But he doesn’t just say things and not do it. When he says, ‘Let’s do this,’ consider it done. It’s happening.”
Boone also noted that the event had already become a major topic of conversation in Washington, claiming that congressmen and senators were trying to secure tickets and calling it the hottest event in the area. White agreed that it could become one of the biggest shows in UFC history.
Earlier in the interview, Boone circled back to the rise of MMA and how dramatically public perception has changed over the last two decades. White acknowledged that the UFC’s success may appear sudden from the outside, but said it came after years of struggle.
“It looks like an overnight success story, but it’s been a long fought hard battle, you know, over the last 25 years,” he said.
The proposed White House event is expected to be part of America’s 250th birthday celebration, and based on White’s confidence in Trump’s commitment, he believes the event is all but official.
