The UFC’s historic White House event continues to take shape, and as always, UFC CEO Dana White is steering the conversation with equal parts clarity, mystery and the kind of blunt honesty only he delivers. With the promotion preparing to put on what it hopes will be one of the most significant cards in its history, White said Saturday that he doesn’t plan to lean into a nationalistic framing, despite the concept’s entire purpose — to serve as part of a celebration of the United States’ 250th birthday.
Instead, White insisted the focus is singular: Putting together the strongest lineup possible. He dismissed any limiting narratives for the event, emphasizing the UFC’s commitment to competitive quality.
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“It’s not America vs. the world. It’s, ‘What’s the best card we can build?’” White said in the hours after UFC 322 in New York City.
That mission may include the new UFC welterweight champion and pound-for-pound star, Islam Makhachev. Dagestani has shouted for his opportunity to be on the historic event after his dominant title win over Jack Della Maddalena in the evening’s main event. White didn’t shy away from acknowledging his new champ-champ’s potential place on the card — or the stakes surrounding Makhachev’s legacy.
“We’re talking about [Makhachev] possibly — GOAT talk here, depending on what he does in his next couple of fights,” White said. “So it’s a possibility.”
With that simple admission, the door to Makhachev’s request not only cracked ajar, but arguably flung wide open. A White House card featuring a title defense from one of the most dominant pound-for-pound forces of this generation would instantly elevate the event’s significance.
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Another name fans continue to watch closely is another dominant all-time great, Jon Jones. The former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion’s return remains clouded in uncertainty after the anticlimactic conclusion to his saga with UFC heavyweight king Tom Aspinall, which began all the way in 2023.
Jones’ desire to return from his short, problematic retirement has given the UFC boss pause, and while White acknowledged speaking to Jones as recently as this past Friday, he wasn’t ready to shed light on where things stand.
“I got nothing to say about it,” White said of Jones. “I don’t know, I just talked to him last night.”
Jones’ absence, though, didn’t stop White from invoking the superstar in a completely different context — one tied to the late-notice heroics of Ethyn Ewing, who scored an impressive upset against Malcolm Wellmaker at UFC 322. In making it clear that stepping up on a moment’s notice isn’t something that can be manufactured, White once again channeled his perpetual disdain for Jones’ infamous UFC 151 cancellation in 2012.
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“You’re either that guy or you’re not,” White said of Ewing’s situation. “It’s not something like, ‘That guy did it. I should probably do it, too.’ You’re built differently than everybody else is.
“Even Jon Jones. You guys know how I feel about Jon Jones. Jon Jones turned down a short-notice fight against Chael Sonnen because his team told him to. That’s one of the most f***ing — I still get mad when I think about how f***ing dumb that was.”
The candor is classic White — equal parts praise and fire. And if anything, it underscores how unpredictable this White House card may become. With Makhachev in the mix, Jones continuing to plead his case, and the UFC intent on stacking a truly historic lineup, the next several months should prove to be fascinating theater ahead of one of the promotion’s boldest nights ever.
