Arman Tsarukyan has offered a hint at the progress of the UFC’s planned White House event, claiming to have taken a look behind the scenes.
The UFC is working on an unprecedented fight card, which is due to take place on the South Lawn on 14 June. The event is set to be a celebration of 250 years of the United States, while it will also take place on president Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
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And although details around the event have emerged sporadically, some fans have questioned whether such an ambitious event will really come to fruition.
However, it seems all systems are go, after the UFC’s No 1-ranked lightweight visited the office of Venum, the sports clothing company that makes the UFC’s fight kits.
“You know what? I was in the Venum office,” Tsarukyan told journalist Ariel Helwani on Tuesday. “I saw how it’s going to be: the shorts and the T-shirts for the White House.
“Good, looking good. It’s going to be special. Special clothes for the White House.”
No fights have yet been announced for the event, but Mr Trump – a close friend of UFC president Dana White – said in December: “They’re gonna have eight or nine championship fights, the biggest fights they’ve ever had. Every one’s a championship fight, and everyone’s a legendary type of fighter.
The UFC’s No 1-ranked lightweight, Arman Tsarukyan (USA Today)
“[White] is actually holding back fights right now, for six months, so he can do it for [14] June. I think [14] June’s gonna be amazing.”
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Also in December, the topic of tickets was addressed by Mark Shapiro, president and COO of the UFC’s ownership group, TKO.
“We’re getting requests… I’m not even talking about people who want to buy tickets, because that won’t be available,” Shapiro said. “There will be no ticket sales. It will hurt us financially, but what this will do for brand, reach, engagement, notoriety, press, earned media, advertiser interest… this is an absolute monster.
“The only thing we do know at this point is: it is happening, and there won’t be ticket sales.”
US president Donald Trump (right) with his friend Dana White, who runs the UFC (REUTERS)
Mr Trump also said: “I think the arena’s gonna be 5,000 or 6,000 seats […] and 100,000 people in the back, where they’re putting up eight or 10 very big screens.”
This week, White told Sports Business Journal that the UFC will not ask Mr Trump or the federal government to use taxpayer funds for the White House card.
