UFC Lost $30 Million on President Trump’s Freedom 250 White House Fight Event

What was billed as one of the most spectacular events in UFC history is now making headlines for a very different reason after newly released financial figures shed light on the true cost of the blockbuster White House showdown.

UFC’s parent company revealed the production took a $30 million hit staging the Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn of the White House in June, even as the fight card drew one of the largest audiences in mixed martial arts history. TKO Group Holdings disclosed the loss alongside its second-quarter earnings, according to an article BBC Sport published Tuesday, August 4.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, 42, were among roughly 4,300 guests at the invite-only spectacle, which was part of the festivities marking 250 years of American independence. No tickets were sold to the general public, and the event’s price tag had initially been projected to top $60 million, per the report.

The historic card was headlined by 37-year-old Justin Gaethje‘s upset victory over Ilia Topuria, 29, for the undisputed UFC lightweight championship, while Ciryl Gane, 36, knocked out Alex Pereira, 39, to capture the interim heavyweight title, Reuters reported.

Andrew Schleimer, chief financial officer of TKO Group, told investors the company had anticipated the shortfall going in. “Given the event’s profile, which as anticipated, resulted in an approximate $30m loss, our margins at UFC as well as on a consolidated basis were meaningfully impacted,” he said, per the BBC Sport report. Schleimer also said that the company “partially offset” the damage “with sold-out global partnerships inventory.”

Despite the loss, UFC’s overall business boomed. According to the article, revenue for the quarter jumped 29% year over year to $535.7 million, driven in part by a $64.7 million bump in media rights tied to UFC’s new $7.7 billion, seven-year deal with Paramount, which streamed Freedom 250 exclusively on Paramount+.

The broadcast pulled in an average of 34 million viewers worldwide, per the report, making it one of the most-watched MMA events ever.

UFC president Dana White, 57, a longtime friend of President Trump’s, helped orchestrate the bash, which doubled as a celebration of the commander in chief’s 80th birthday. Reports circulated in May that so-called “high-roller” guests were charged as much as $1.5 million for premium access, though UFC sources did not confirm pricing, per the BBC Sport report.