UFC president Dana White was in awe of what happened at Freedom 250 at the White House, but was very clear after: there will be no repeat occurrence—despite what U.S. President Donald Trump or anyone else might ask.
“I can’t afford it,” White said in a post-fight press conference when asked about staging another White House event. “There’s no fucking way we can do this again. I’ll never do the Sphere again, and we’ll never do this again.”
UFC went to Freedom 250 expected to lose about $30 million from the event, recouping only half of the $60 million the fights cost to put on. The mixed-martial arts showcase, however, drew nearly 200,000 people over the weekend to the Ellipse, adjacent to the South Lawn where the fights were held. Merchandise sales, meanwhile, doubled the prior UFC record, and White said Paramount CEO David Ellison was pleased with the event’s impact on the Paramount+ streaming service.
Specific viewership figures from UFC Freedom 250 haven’t yet been disclosed, but the fight is projected to be a sizable lift for Paramount+.
“In every way you can measure success, … it was monstrous tonight. You don’t get calls from billionaires flipping out too often,” White said of Ellison.
White, however, said he has no appetite for staging any future events outdoors after grappling all weekend with weather uncertainty.
“I don’t ever want to fucking be outside again,” he said. “There’s just too much.”
Full story in bio.
UFC president Dana White was in awe of what happened at Freedom 250 at the White House, but was very clear after: there will be no repeat occurrence—despite what U.S. President Donald Trump or anyone else might ask.
“I can’t afford it,” White said in a post-fight press conference when asked about staging another White House event. “There’s no fucking way we can do this again. I’ll never do the Sphere again, and we’ll never do this again.”
UFC went to Freedom 250 expected to lose about $30 million from the event, recouping only half of the $60 million the fights cost to put on. The mixed-martial arts showcase, however, drew nearly 200,000 people over the weekend to the Ellipse, adjacent to the South Lawn where the fights were held. Merchandise sales, meanwhile, doubled the prior UFC record, and White said Paramount CEO David Ellison was pleased with the event’s impact on the Paramount+ streaming service.
Specific viewership figures from UFC Freedom 250 haven’t yet been disclosed, but the fight is projected to be a sizable lift for Paramount+.
“In every way you can measure success, … it was monstrous tonight. You don’t get calls from billionaires flipping out too often,” White said of Ellison.
White, however, said he has no appetite for staging any future events outdoors after grappling all weekend with weather uncertainty.
“I don’t ever want to fucking be outside again,” he said. “There’s just too much.”
Full story in bio.
