UFC boss Dana White has a lot on his plate in planning the outdoor fight card on the south lawn of the White House next month, but a recent dinner with the president raised new concerns.
The planned UFC Freedom 250 event, part of America 250 celebrations, will be held on June 14, President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, and White has been busy making the arrangements for the historic occasion. But in a recent interview with Boardroom, the Trump friend and ally disclosed a problem with bugs that he fears could affect the outdoor event.
“Another problem that I always think about, especially on the East Coast, bugs,” White said.
Dana White reveals there’s a bug problem at the White House and he doesn’t know how to solve it yet:
«President Trump just opened the Rose Garden two nights ago and he invited me to dinner there. The amount of gnats that were flying around… I’m like “Holy sh*t…”
As soon… pic.twitter.com/Xr3O7Nhsrq
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) May 18, 2026
The president and chief executive officer of the Ultimate Fighting Championship then shared that he had dinner with Trump and realized the number of gnats in the outdoor Rose Garden setting was a major issue that could impact the upcoming production aspects of the UFC fight.
“President Trump just opened the Rose Garden two nights ago, and he invited me to dinner there,” White recounted.
“The amount of gnats that were flying around … I’m like, ‘Holy s–t.’ 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,’” he continued.
White explained how lighting an outdoor event will certainly be affected by “moths, gnats, and God knows what else,” even impacting the fighters themselves.
“These are all the things I think about…in your mouth, in your nose while you’re trying to fight,” White said, adding that he has spoken to the head of his production team about some possible solutions, such as fans.
“These are all the little details that we have to think about. That’s why I don’t like fighting outside,” he explained.
The UFC boss has previously touted the upcoming event, telling fans of the mixed martial sport that they “absolutely, positively” should attend the D.C. fight.
Dana White unveils plan for free tickets to attend UFC White House event https://t.co/1rpURNGicg
— BPR (@BIZPACReview) May 4, 2026
“If you are a fan of the UFC, and especially if you have never been to Washington, D.C., we’re going to give away about 85,000 tickets and there’s a process you have to register for tickets and they’re free, but you should come to Washington, D.C., that week, the week of the fight,” he said. “We’re going to be doing all kinds of things in D.C. for fans and it’s really a cool city for probably most people have never been and if you’re a UFC fan this is absolutely, positively the time to come to D.C.”
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- Dana White says gnats at Trump’s White House Rose Garden dinner give him pause about outdoor venue - May 19, 2026
- Dana White says gnats at Trump’s White House Rose Garden dinner give him pause about outdoor venue - May 19, 2026
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