The UFC is once again embarking one a unique, one-of-a-kind, special event as they look to hold a card at the White House in summer 2026.
As athletes across the promotion hold their hand up to be chosen to fight on the card, the UFC has still to confirm all the details of the big fight card.
Right now, UFC President and CEO, Dana White has announced that the bouts will be held on the White House lawn, the fighters will walk out from the Oval Office, and that the weigh-ins will take place at the Lincoln Memorial.
The exact date of the event was still yet to be confirmed by the organization, although White did reveal that it would be in June last month in early September.
However, speaking to a crowd on Monday, President Donald Trump told the world that the mega-event would happen on June 14th 2026 – which happens to be a Sunday.
“And on June 14th,” Trump said on Monday, “Next year we’re going to have a big UFC fight at the White House, right at the White House – on the grounds of the White House.”
June 14th of 2026 will also mark Trump’s 80th birthday, which perhaps shares some insight as to the reason behind the chosen date.
UFC Moves White House Card To Sunday Night
Originally, when it was announced that there would be a fight at the President’s residence next summer for Independence Day, it was naturally assumed that the event would happen on the day of, July 4th, which coincidentally does fall on a Saturday next year.
It was then pushed forward to June, with White noting the scheduling conflicts that would happen on the day itself, especially considering 2026 will mark the 250th anniversary of the state.
The UFC has not confirmed this officially via social media or press release, but given Trump’s high level of involvement in the project, and known personal proximity to White, it would be unlikely if the date provided by him was false.
Now, potentially with Trump’s personal birthday in mind, it seems as if the promotion has made a rare move and pushed the numbered event to Sunday night in mid-June.
When Was The Last Time The UFC Held An Event On A Sunday?
This would not technically be the first time that the world’s premier mixed martial arts promotion has held an event on Sunday, rather than on Saturday. Although in recent years, White and UFC have moved the timings of the cards around when fights have been held in different countries.
Fight night cards in China, for example often start as early as 3am on the East Coast for the prelims.
Yet, this will be the first time in almost a quarter century that the organization has put a numbered event on during a Sunday, with that being UFC 33 on September 23, 2001.
There have also been sparing fight night cards on Sundays, with the most recent one being UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Medeiros in February 2018.
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