Donald Trump forced Dana White into major UFC White House card addition
Donald Trump forced Dana White into a major change for the UFC White House card after a comment made at UFC 327 on Saturday night.
The 45th and 47th President was in attendance at the Kaseya Center in Miami, where Carlos Ulberg knocked out Jiri Prochazka in the first round of the main event to become light heavyweight champion.
Trump entered the arena alongside UFC chief White and not for the first time, had a front row seat for the action inside the Octagon.
The 79-year-old was in conversation with White throughout the event and used his power to get another fight added to the upcoming White House card.
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The historic event, titled 'UFC Freedom 250: The White House', takes place on Trump's 80th birthday on June 14 and celebrates the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The card was announced a short while back, with Ilia Topuria headlining with his lightweight title defence against Justin Gaethje and Alex Pereira squaring off against Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight strap.
But while at UFC 327, out of nowhere, Trump requested that UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis compete on the card. That led to White reacting immediately, giving Lewis a call and confirming his participation.
He was paired with Josh Hokit, who hit headlines with his decision victory over Curtis Blaydes to move to 9-0 in Miami.
White made the swift announcement on a livestream, telling UFC fans: "I'm sure you guys just saw the Hokit fight, right? About an hour ago, the president leans over to me and he says, 'Why is Derrick Lewis not on the White House card?' I said, 'Hold on a second Mr. President. I step away and I call Derrick Lewis. I said, 'Derrick, the president just asked me why you're not on the card - do you want to the fight on the White House card?',
"He goes, 'Of course I do, tell the president thank you I want to do it. Then the Hokit fight plays out. He beats the No.5 ranked guy in the world and Joe Rogan says, 'Is there still room on the White House card?'.
"We went back and talked to him. Hokit vs Derrick Lewis was just added to the White House card."
White previously revealed that Lewis, a former heavyweight title challenger known for his bizarre post-fight interview, is Trump's favourite fighter and he will "not stop talking about him".
UFC White House card in full:
- Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje
- Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane
- Sean O'Malley vs Aiemann Zahabi
- Mauricio Ruffy vs Michael Chandler
- Bo Nickal vs Kyle Daukaus
- Diego Lopes vs Steve Garcia
- Derrick Lewis vs Josh Hokit
In the press conference afterwards, White admitted that no more fights will be added, stating, "I shouldn't have done this one but when the President looks at you and says, 'Why is Derrick Lewis not on the card? - you put Derrick Lewis on the card immediately.
"Unless he calls me to tell me to do something else, there will be no more fights added."
The historic event will take place on the South Lawn at the White House, with main event fighters making their entrances from the Oval Office.
Speaking to Barstool Sports, White said that he has 300 tickets to give out, with TKO, the parent company of UFC, having double that. He went on to explain that Trump has 1300 tickets but wants most of the attendees to be from the military.
Topics: Donald Trump, Dana White
Josh Lawless