Dana White Teases the Next UFC Mega-Event After the White House Card

The UFC ran the most ambitious card in its history on June 14, when it staged a live event on the White House South Lawn to mark President Donald Trump's 80th birthday. Everyone involved has since called it a one-and-done. But Dana White isn't done thinking about the next big swing — he just confirmed on The Pat McAfee Show that another mega-event is already in the early planning stages.

The pitch didn't come from White. It came from his head of production, Craig Borsari, who White says is riding high after pulling off the White House show. White wouldn't give up any details on the location or format, only that Borsari brought him the idea, that he loves it, and that he's still doing the groundwork to see if it can actually happen.

This is familiar territory for the promotion. Before the South Lawn, the UFC's headline spectacle was Noche UFC at the Sphere in Las Vegas — another card White has flatly said will never be duplicated. The company has built a habit of chasing venues no one else would touch, then declaring each one unrepeatable.

White made clear the new project won't be a sequel to Washington. He said there will never be anything like the White House again, calling it the greatest thing he's ever been part of and admitting the live experience blew away even his own high expectations. Whatever Borsari cooked up, it's being framed as a different beast, not a bigger one.

McAfee, naturally, took the bait and joked that the UFC was headed to the moon to fight people. White didn't bite. He kept the specifics locked down, which usually means the idea is real enough that he doesn't want to jinx it — or tip off anyone trying to book the same venue.

Back to the Actual Fights

While White dreams up the next set piece, the promotion has a loaded fall on the books. UFC 330 pits welterweight champion Islam Makhachev — 28-1 with 13 submission wins and a title defense at UFC 320 in his last outing — against #1 contender Ian Machado Garry, who's 17-1 and coming off a unanimous decision over Belal Muhammad. Elsewhere, #2 lightweight Arman Tsarukyan (23-3) returns in September to face Mauricio Ruffy after submitting Dan Hooker with a second-round arm triangle.

The mega-events grab the headlines, and they should. But the business still runs on cards like these. Whatever Borsari has drawn up, it'll have to wait its turn behind a genuinely stacked calendar.