The biggest organisation in MMA is preparing to stage one of the sport’s largest events ever in just a few months: the highly anticipated UFC White House card.
Taking place on June 14, it is an event that has no precedent in any combat sports as the Octagon lands on the lawn of one of the most famous landmarks on earth.
Dana White did confirm there would be about seven or eight fights total for this event, although nothing has been officially announced yet.
In that context, fans are left guessing, especially after Donald Trump said there would be eight or nine title fights featured at this UFC event.
Matt Brown questions whether the UFC has enough star power for White House event
Last week, White said that matchmaking had started for the UFC’s White House event, which once again got fans buzzing about what could be a historic night for the sport.
From the moment it was announced, the card has been hyped as potentially the biggest in UFC history, with fans expecting many of the promotion’s top names to appear.
But Matt Brown is not convinced. The veteran fighter questioned whether there are enough big names left in the organisation to deliver on those expectations, suggesting that much of the hype is riding on Conor McGregor’s involvement.
“It’s hard to imagine (it won’t be a let down),” Brown told MMAFighting.
“They don’t have the stars they used to have and Conor (McGregor) is not fighting on it, I don’t give a f— what anybody says, and I don’t care what he says, I don’t care what Dana says, he’s not fighting on it.
“They’re using him to promote it and using his name to get out there. He’s not fighting on that s—, bro. And even if that is signed and a done deal, I’m not gonna believe it until he’s inside the Octagon and a punch is thrown.
“Who do they have for stars? Particularly American, right, but just stars all around and I think that’s a risk to take to only be doing six or seven fights because you know this sport, you could get six or seven boring fights, easily.”
The Irishman has not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 back in July 2021 but has repeatedly said that he wants his comeback fight scheduled at this event.
And although there were initial reports suggesting his bout against Michael Chandler could finally happen then too, White shut down those rumours earlier this year.
Matt Brown raises valid concerns about the UFC’s current star power
In truth, Brown is not far off when it comes to questioning the promotion’s current star power.
Right now, only Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira are widely recognised as household names, and even though Topuria is expected to headline against Justin Gaethje, it is not exactly being billed as a blockbuster.
The issue of limited star power is one that has also been raised recently by boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who remains in an ongoing feud with Dana White.
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