Conor McGregor, Khamzat Chimaev Seem Like Strong Possibilities for Card

Published on January 13th, 2026 4:10 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


On June 14th, 2026, the UFC will host the most unique event in the history of their promotion.

"UFC White House" will take place on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14th, 2026, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.

UFC President Dana White and President Donald Trump are close friends, which is how this event ended up being pulled together.

5,000 people are expected to attend the event, with no tickets being sold. It will be members of the Administration attending, invited guests and friends and family of the fights only.

President Trump had talked up the event quite a bit, stating that there may be as many of half a dozen title fights on the card.

This might be easier said than done, as the UFC still has to run their regular schedule, and some high-profile fighters have said that they won't be available.

With that being said, let's look at the five likeliest fighters for this card:

Conor McGregor. Barring injury, McGregor is practically a shoe-in for this card. McGregor recently accepted a suspension that will put himself back in good standing with the commissions and make himself available for the White House card. McGregor and Trump are on friendly terms as well. The likeliest fight for McGregor is against Michael Chandler, as this should be an explosive fight between two fan-friendly fighters. I'd be shocked if McGregor ends up not being on this card.

Khamzat Chimaev. Hasn't fought since August and doesn't have a fight booked. Has called out Alex Pereira for the card in recent days. I would expect Chimaev to be featured on this card, especially given that he is an active title holder.

Alex Pereira. Has said that he wants to fight Jon Jones on the White House card and no one else. Doesn't have a title fight booked and has already indicated that he wants on this card. Could the UFC end up acquiescing and making the Jones vs Pereira fight? If the UFC opens up their pocket book, Pereira will likely end up on this card. He is the perfect addition as he certainly fights in a fan-friendly style.

Mackenzie Dern. The UFC's current Women's Strawweight champion was born in Phoenix, Arizona and doesn't currently have a fight booked. The UFC will surely want to put a Women's title fight on the card. With Harrison fighting Amanda Nunes soon, slotting in Dern for the White House card makes a great deal of sense, assuming that the winner of Harrison/Nunes isn't immediately available for another fight.

Jon Jones. UFC President Dana White has said repeatedly that Jones won't be on this card. I don't believe it. Jones is the greatest fighter in the history of the promotion, and I could see White backing down from his previous stance of not allowing Jones on this card by claiming that the President himself asked for Jones to take part. Who wouldn't want to see Jones vs Pereira?

There have been worries about the potential quality of this card.

While we likely won't see 6-8 title fights, as President Trump claimed, I do think that we will see a superstar-laden card that includes the likes of McGregor, Pereira, Jones and Chimaev.