UFC CEO Dana White claimed that the White House Rose Garden, made over into a patio last year by President Donald Trump, is infested with gnats, which could pose a problem for next month’s MMA bout on the South Lawn.
“President Trump just opened the Rose Garden two nights ago, and he invited me to dinner there,” White, 56, told the Boardroom podcast Monday. “The amount of gnats that were flying around. I’m like, ‘Holy s***.’ As soon as I got on the plane, I called my head of production and said, ‘Yeah, let me tell you about the gnat situation tonight.’
“So when you’re a fighter, think about that lighting grid, the amount of power in the lights… moths, gnats, and God knows what else.”
White said he had advised installing powerful fans around the White House venue for next month’s fight to drive away the insects because “gnats have a hard time in the wind.”
“These are all the little details that we have to think about,” the impresario said. “That’s why I don’t like fighting outside. Ever.”
Trump has tasked White with staging a showpiece UFC event at the presidential residence to mark his 80th birthday on June 14, the occasion also honoring the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle did not address White’s gnat concerns when asked by The Independent but said of the cage fight extravaganza: “This will be one of the greatest and most historic sports events in history, and President Trump hosting it at the White House is a testament to his vision to celebrate America’s monumental 250th anniversary.”
The president has likewise talked up the combat sports showcase, officially named “UFC Freedom 250,” saying he expects 5,000 spectators to make up the audience and many more to watch it on large screens especially erected for the purpose at Washington’s Ellipse Park nearby.
The main event is set to feature at least seven clashes, including Ilia Topuria versus Justin Gaethje and Alex Pereira against Ciryl Gane, taking place inside the UFC’s signature “octagon” arena, which, according to concept art presented by the president, will have a huge arch towering overhead.
Trump recently hosted some of the combatants in the Oval Office and called on Gaethje to give his opinion on the Iran war, causing the MMA fighter to hurriedly assert that the U.S. is in “fantastic shape,” despite the lack of progress in peace talks and the feeling that the fragile ceasefire could falter at any time.
It was reported last week that the president’s fundraising team is offering seven-figure sponsorship packages to wealthy fans hoping to attend the fight.
“They are raising a s*** ton of money and have used it as another unofficial vehicle for corporate donors to give and gain favor with Trump,” one Republican lobbyist told NBC News of the offer.
White previously told CBS News that the UFC is raffling off some tickets to loyal fans, his organization’s leadership have 400 more to give out, the president has another 1,000 to use at his discretion, and said the remainder will go to members of the military.
Trump voter turned skeptic Joe Rogan, a color commentator for the sport as well as a podcaster, has expressed doubts about the upcoming spectacular, expressing concern about the weather and saying that, while he is “excited” for it, he finds it “weird to have a fight at the White House in the middle of a f***ing war.”
The president, a big fight fan, clearly does not share Rogan’s fears.
He last attended a UFC clash in Miami in April with Secretary of State Marco Rubio – while Vice President JD Vance was in Pakistan attempting to negotiate with Iran – at which he lavished praise on the Brazilian fighter Paulo Costa.
