Dana White drops major update on White House card after new UFC TV deal

UFC CEO Dana White still has a major objective next summer: putting on an event at the White House to commemorate America's 250th birthday and culminate a potentially unforgettable Fourth of July celebration.

This would be a massive deal for the MMA community as UFC fighters Conor McGregor and Jon Jones have both shown interest in participating.

Except this time, the promotion now has a new U.S. broadcast partner: Paramount. As it was revealed Monday, UFC events will move exclusively to Paramount Plus with the capability for select events to broadcast on the linear CBS without the need for cable or satellite.

The tentative White House event appears to be one of those occasions, according to the UFC boss. White did a mini virtual media tour in the aftermath of the seven-year, $7.7 billion deal, grabbing a few minutes with ESPN's Pat McAfee.

In a wide-ranging interview, White broke down how lucrative the partnership could end up with the ability to reach millions across the country.

"That White House card might be on CBS..

Fight card from the White House LIVE AND FREE on CBS" ~ @danawhite #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/bZXmpI4Qeq
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 11, 2025

Dana White Still Eyes White House Card

White still plans on taking an event to the White House — Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; UFC CEO Dana White (left) talks to President-elect Donald Trump ringside during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

"That [White House event] might be on CBS," White said. "You know what I mean? Think about that. A fight card, from the White House live and free on CBS the network. C'mon."

White went into further detail Tuesday about where the UFC is in its event planning stages from a logistical perspective during an interview with "CBS Mornings."

"It's definitely going to happen," White said. "I talked to him last night, him being the president. I'm flying out there [to Washington D.C.] at the end of this month. I'm going to sit down and walk him through, you know, all the plans and the renderings."

Dana White To Meet With President Donald Trump

White remain cordial with the president — July 18, 2024; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Dana White, CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship introduces Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum. The final day of the RNC featured a keynote address by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Mandatory Credit: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY | Jasper Colt-USA TODAY

White says he hopes the meeting with Donald Trump is productive enough to give the UFC a better sense about what it's up against.

"We're gonna start deciding what he wants and what he doesn't want," White said.

For now, though, the UFC's current deal with ESPN, and the pay-per-view era as it's currently known, charges forward. The CBS/Paramount deal is set to begin next year, and like ESPN, will be the premier destination for the promotion's consumers in the United States.

Paramount/CBS will mark the UFC's fourth TV deal dating to 2005. First, the promotion began on Spike TV and the now-defunct Versus before transitioning to the FOX family in 2011. Then the promotion sought out ESPN, exclusively transitioning pay-per-view events to ESPN+ and effectively ending its relationship with inDEMAND and DirecTV to order the events in-house through a distributor.

Now, the Paramount arrangement ushers in a new era of the sport. Whether it pays off remains to be seen.

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