Dana White was pressed hard Saturday night following UFC Nashville, particularly when it comes to the White House event the promotion is tentatively planning for July 4 of next year.
White said during the post-fight presser that while the card will happen and take place on pay-per-view, even thinking about who may be on the card (Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, or otherwise) is unclear given how far out the event is.
“We’re just getting into the logistics now,” White told reporters. “My team [has] already walked the White House with the staff there. Now we’re putting together the design. We’ll all fly out to D.C. and sit down with [Donald Trump] and see what he wants to do.”
White said Derrick Lewis, who ended the 12-fight card with an emphatic 35-second first-round TKO against Tallison Teixeira, was in contact with Trump following the bout to pitch himself to fight on the Washington D.C. card. No further details from White were disclosed.
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Nevertheless, White’s goal remains to put together the best card in promotional history, regardless of how the sport looks by that time period.
“We wouldn’t even start building that card — it’s literally a year away from now,” White said. “It’s a year away. It’s not even worth talking about, who would be on the card. The entire MMA landscape will be different a year from now.”
What White was able to confirm, however, was the backdrop. The event will take place on the South Lawn, as the Octagon will overlook the Washington Monument on one side and White House on the other.
For now, the pre-planning process is in motion and the UFC has much work to do. It still has the fall and winter schedule of fights that must materialize first, too.
“I mean, everybody wants to be on this card,” White said.
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