UFC boss Dana White lifts lid on surprising talk with Barack Obama at Donald Trump inauguration

UFC president Dana White has lifted the lid on his surprising interaction with Barack Obama, with the pair having spoken at Donald Trump’s second inauguration.

White, a close friend of Mr Trump, is planning a UFC fight card at the White House in 2026, and the 56-year-old has even spoken at the US president’s rallies in the past.

However, he has revealed he had a cordial conversation with Mr Obama – who served as US president before Trump’s first term, which ran from 2017 until 2021 – at the inauguration for Trump’s second term, this January.

“I am an American citizen,” White told 60 Minutes on Sunday (28 September). “[Joe] Biden was my president, Trump is my president. I was at the inauguration, and I was sitting behind all the ex-presidents. There was this stuff going around: ‘Dana’s mad dogging President Obama.’

“President Obama turned around – the only president that did – and shook my hand and said: ‘Congratulations on all your success.’ I said: ‘Thank you very much, Mr President.’ That’s what happened. I’ve never talked about that publicly.”

White also revealed that Mr Obama, 64, would be welcome at a UFC event in the future, whether that be the planned White House card or otherwise.

White laughed: “[People think] if President Obama called and said, ‘Hey, I’d like to come see a fight,’ we’d be like, ‘Yeah, buy some tickets and good luck,’ or whatever.

“No, if the sitting president or an ex-President of the United States wants to come to your event, you treat them with respect.”

White has shared rendered images of what the White House is expected to look like if the 2026 UFC event goes ahead. The Octagon is expected to be placed on the South Lawn, with fewer than 5,000 people likely to attend.

“So, we went to the White House last week, me and my team, and we had the first meeting with him [President Trump],” White said on 10 September. “We laid out all the renderings, and we started to get him to sign off on what he likes and doesn’t like. And he loved it, so now we’re diving in headfirst. Now all the work starts.

“The last time I was at the White House, I went up on the roof of the White House, and they’ve got snipers with .50 cals all over the roof of the White House. It’s pretty crazy. But yes, I mean, the security is gonna be a massive issue, because at the end of the day, secret service’s job is to protect the president.

“I don’t know how it’s gonna work out as far as having people there live, on the lawn of the White House. It’ll be under 5,000, though. But… I can’t remember what they call it, but there’s a park connected to the White House,” White continued, seemingly referencing President’s Park. “We can put 85,000 people over there with screens. We’re gonna put a big stage out there and do concerts. We’re gonna take over Washington DC that whole week.”

Former UFC champion Conor McGregor is among the fighters wishing to compete at the White House event. And the 37-year-old, who recently announced he was withdrawing from a bid to become Irish president, has claimed he is negotiating with Mr Trump – not the UFC.

“I’m not negotiating with the UFC on behalf of myself for this fight like usual,” said McGregor. “I’m negotiating with the United States of America on behalf of Ireland for this fight. It’s a peculiar one. Trump and the administration have been fully supportive and backing, and I cannot wait to put on a show.”

After revealing his intention to fight at the event, McGregor outlined his staggering pay demands, saying he wants “$100m” and “100 US ‘Golden Visas’”. It would be McGregor’s first bout since 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in his second straight loss to Dustin Poirier, and he has claimed he would face Michael Chandler.