Before the UFC’s first-ever event at the White House, Dana White shared the promotion’s estimated value with Donald Trump, and it surprised one of his champions.
In June 2026, the promotion is set to put on its biggest show yet, taking place right on the White House lawn. It is a unique setting for an event that is already drawing massive interest.
Since news of the event broke, many of the UFC’s top names have made it clear they want to be involved. Trump even mentioned recently that there could be as many as nine title fights scheduled for that night.
In the lead-up to the event, White has made several visits to meet with President Trump at the White House. During one of those meetings, Kayla Harrison – who holds the women’s bantamweight title – was also present.
Dana White estimates UFC’s value at $23 billion in conversation with Donald Trump
Harrison, who had hoped to be part of the historic event, is instead scheduled to defend her title against Amanda Nunes at UFC 324.
Even so, she still found herself at a White House dinner with Trump and White, where she made her case for a spot on the card.
And something she overheard during that dinner caught her off guard but left her feeling optimistic about future contract talks.
Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s live show, Harrison said: “At one point, Trump was like, he was talking about, he was like, ‘I remember when you sold the company for $4 billion or something’ and he was like, ‘That was great’, and they’re both talking about their billions of dollars and I’m just sat there like, ‘Oh’.
“And then Trump asks Dana, he’s like, ‘What do you think it’s worth now?’ And Dana said, ‘It’s estimated at around $23 billion’, and I was like, ‘That’s really good to know going into negotiations’, and Trump thought that was hilarious.”
UFC fans excited for 2026 with new broadcast home
The start of 2026 will mark a new chapter for the UFC as its partnership with Paramount gets underway, and Harrison will be defending her title in the first major event under this agreement.
In the past, fans in the United States needed an ESPN+ subscription on top of paying for each pay-per-view event.
From 2026 onwards, though, all UFC events in the US will be available through a single Paramount+ subscription. And yesterday, it was announced that an annual subscription would cost $59.99, covering every Fight Night and numbered event.
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