Could the UFC’s White House event be getting rebranded with just two months to go? Maybe.
While Donald Trump fielded questions after accepting a McDonald’s order delivered by DoorDash on Monday, a White House reporter suggested a name change to the upcoming UFC event scheduled for June 14 on the South Lawn – and the president was intrigued.
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“UFC typically numbers those fights consecutively, but should they label this one UFC 1776?” the reporter asked.
Trump responded, “That’s a good idea. I’ll tell that to Dana White. I like that idea, actually.”
The only problem? The event was announced March 7 as UFC Freedom 250 in honor of the United States of America’s 250th anniversary of independence and has heavily been promoted as UFC Freedom 250 for the past five weeks. A name change this close to the event might not go over well with Dana White and UFC executives given all the planning that’s gone into hosting the one-of-a-kind event.
More: Triple Take: Is the UFC Freedom 250 card a complete letdown?
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Trump’s remarks came less than 48 hours after he attended UFC 327 this past Saturday at Kaseya Center in Miami.
UFC Freedom 250 is slated to feature seven fights, far fewer than the 12 or 13 of a numbered event, and will take place Sunday, June 14, instead of a typical Saturday – on Trump’s 80th birthday. UFC Freedom 250 is headlined by two title fights. The main event pits Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje for the undisputed lightweight championship. And in the co-main event, Alex Pereira will try to become the first fighter in UFC history to claim title belts in three divisions when he meets Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight championship.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Freedom 250: Trump considers name change to White House event
