UFC says it won’t profit from White House event that could cost 'upwards of $60M'

This twelvemonth is afloat of momentous sporting events successful the United States, including the first-of-its-kind UFC paper astatine the White House. 

However, the event, which is scheduled for June 14, volition beryllium costing the UFC rather a beauteous penny. 

TKO Group Holdings president and main operating serviceman Mark Shapiro spoke astir the White House lawsuit connected a 4th fiscal call, wherever helium said the promotion is expecting a terms tag "upwards of $60 million."

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UFC President and CEO Dana White reacts during a bantamweight combat betwixt Adrian Luna Martinetti of Ecuador and Mark Vologdin of Russia during Dana White's Contender Series play nine, week 9 astatine UFC APEX connected Oct. 07, 2025 successful Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

"I deliberation by the clip each is said and done with the lawsuit and what we wage the fighters and the instrumentality fest that we’re going to have, that could determination north," Shapiro said of the expected outgo of putting the lawsuit together, per SB Nation. "It’s decidedly not moving south. It could determination north. Bottom line, it’s inactive a moving target."

TKO Group Holdings is taking connected each the costs of the event, which included gathering an arena connected the southbound tract of the White House arsenic good arsenic paying its fighters. The UFC hopes to get astatine slightest fractional of that $60 cardinal backmost done sponsorships and different avenues, but it’s inactive expected to beryllium a large loss. 

"We are moving to determine, connected a parallel track, a bundle of inventory successful and astir the play of events we tin monetize, chiefly with firm partners," Shapiro continued. "[Business to business] players that volition offset fractional of the spend. Even if that $60 [million] goes up oregon rides up connected us, we judge we tin offset fractional of the spend."

The White House did not instantly respond to a petition for remark by Fox News Digital.

Shapiro said determination are "several existent and prospective partners that are pursuing multi-year partnerships" with TKO that would beryllium inclusive to the White House event. 

Now, this isn’t a astonishment to TKO and the UFC that the terms tag is truthful high, with the promotion’s CEO, Dana White, antecedently stating it would beryllium 1 of his astir costly events successful history. 

UFC CEO Dana White (left) talks to President-elect Donald Trump ringside during UFC 309 astatine Madison Square Garden. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)

In the end, everyone progressive wants to bash immoderate it takes to marque this lawsuit 1 of the top successful American history, particularly with it being heavy progressive successful the America 250 solemnisation this year. 

"I privation to beryllium wide astir thing – we volition not nett from the White House lawsuit independently," Shapiro said. "We volition not beryllium making wealth connected America’s 250th anniversary. 

"This is an concern for the agelong term. This is astir earned media. This is astir sampling, caller fans, casual viewers, a spectacle connected a signifier that volition yet grow our audience, our viewership and our occurrence connected Paramount+."

UFC CEO and president Dana White during UFC 303 astatine T-Mobile Arena connected June 29, 2024. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)

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White has antecedently promised the "greatest combat paper ever assembled" for this event. Many superstar fighters person publically lobbied to beryllium progressive connected the card, though negotiations person not begun conscionable yet. 

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