Donald Trump’s love affair with the UFC is perhaps one of the most remarkable stories in the history of sports business at large.
Trump’s bromance with UFC President Dana White stretches back much further than his terms as the 45th and 47th president of the United States. By White’s own account, their friendship dates back 25 years, with Trump said to have attended UFC 30 back in 2001, when the sport was very, very far away from the mainstream.
But it doesn’t get more mainstream than the White House lawn, where UFC Freedom 250 is slated to take place, complete with a temporary 4,500-seat mini arena on 14 June, which also happens to be the president’s birthday. If the bombastic and divisive showpiece isn’t struck down by an impending lawsuit, that is.
In the time between the two events, White has become one of Trump’s biggest champions and the UFC has become culturally absorbed into Planet Trump. He sits cageside, he amplifies the noise so integral to the UFC brand on social media, he even owns stock in its parent company TKO Group Holdings.
White, on the flipside, is now in Trump’s inner circle. Before Freedom 250, perhaps the most striking omen was that White was installed on the board of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp parent company Meta in January 2025, days before Trump’s second inauguration.
Since Trump’s first and second terms, UFC’s annual revenue has boomed, from $690m in 2016 to $1.5bn in 2025. With tickets for Freedom 250 fetching literally millions of dollars on secondary markets, expect the trend to continue in 2026.
The vast majority of UFC turnover comes from its media rights deal with Paramount, whose board – incidentally – is led by David Ellison, a key Trump ally.
However, a growing component of its revenues is sourced from sponsorship deals and other partnerships. Its biggest single commercial relationships are with Bud Light, Crypto.com, Monster Energy and DraftKings. Oh, and White’s Meta, too.
The latest two names to join the stable in time for Freedom 250 are the futures trading platform NinjaTrader and payments processor Exodus.
NinjaTrader’s deal is with TKO Group at large and its branding will adorn the Octagon at next week’s fight.
It will also act as the presenting partner for the official watch party at The Ellipse, across the road from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and Dana White’s Contender Series TV show.
Exodus meanwhile will also get advertising space in the Octagon, as well as on merchandise, digital media and experiences at the watch party.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
