President Donald Trump is hosting a UFC fight on White House grounds to celebrate his 80th birthday and the nation’s 250th anniversary. Trump has long supported UFC and during his 2024 campaign, he used those ties to attract voters who weren't traditionally politically engaged. The sport aligns with Trump's brawling, no-holds-barred style of politics. The Republican president is also close friend with UFC CEO Dana White and with the Ellison family, whose Paramount+ has the broadcast rights. Trump has boasted that the June 14 event feature “all top guys.” But fans online have panned the White House fight card as underwhelming.

Nate Diaz will return to mixed martial arts for the first time in nearly four years when he fights fellow brawler Mike Perry on the undercard of Ronda Rousey’s meeting with Gina Carano. Diaz hasn't fought in a cage since September 2022, when he choked out Tony Ferguson in his final fight for the UFC. Diaz is best known for splitting two memorable fights against Conor McGregor a decade ago in a rivalry that exponentially boosted both fighters’ star power. Both Diaz and Perry have lost boxing matches to Jake Paul, the YouTuber who is promoting the Rousey-Carano card.

Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano say their meeting on May 16 is the biggest fight that can be made in mixed martial arts, and they’re both thrilled to end their lengthy retirements for the long-awaited showdown. Rousey and Carano made their first public appearance to promote their comeback bout at Intuit Dome. Both fighters were pioneers in the nascent days of women’s MMA. Carano became the sport’s biggest early television star in the 2000s before Rousey’s talent single-handedly persuaded the UFC to create women’s divisions in the 2010s.