Speaking with 'The Pat McAfee Show,' Dana White teased that the UFC's upcoming White House event will air on CBS. Graphic via Liam McGuire
By Ben Axelrod on

Following Monday morning’s major announcement, we now know that UFC programming in the United States will be exclusive to Paramount Global beginning in 2026.

And that includes what promises to be one of the most highly anticipated events of next year in the form of the previously announced UFC event at the White House, which will coincide with the America 250 celebration.

Considering the magnitude of such an event, it’s not a stretch to think that it likely served as a bargaining chip in UFC’s negotiations, which ultimately resulted in a seven-year, $7.7 billion deal with Paramount. And while the Paramount+ streaming service will serve as the primary home of UFC’s offerings, Dana White is already teasing that the White House event will likely be broadcast on national television.

“That might be on CBS, you know what I mean?” the UFC president proclaimed during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday. “How about that? Fight card, from the White House, live and free on CBS the network. Come on.”

While the Paramount deal calls for an unspecified number of events to be simulcast on CBS, the exact details remain unclear. But at this point, it seems like a safe bet that one of those events will be the one that takes place at the White House as America celebrates its 250th birthday next July.

McAfee proceeded to speculate that the event would draw historic ratings, which certainly doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility. Especially if White makes good on his previous promise to deliver one of UFC’s best fight lineups in history, with major stars including Jon Jones and Conor McGregor having publicly expressed interest in participating in the event.

Of course, there is also a political angle to all of this, as White has been a longtime supporter of President Donald Trump, who has made multiple appearances at UFC shows in recent years. It’s also worth noting that Paramount CEO David Ellison’s father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, has been a prominent Trump supporter over the years and that the 45th and 47th president’s lawsuit against Paramount appeared to be a hurdle in the recent Skydance-Paramount merger being completed.

In retrospect, perhaps Paramount should have always been viewed as a stronger contender for the UFC rights, especially as the seemingly delayed timeline of the negotiations indicate that both sides were waiting for the merger to be completed before finalizing their own deal. Either way, Paramount has emerged with not only one of the last remaining major sports rights that were available until MLB’s current deal expires at the end of the 2028 season, but also what promises to be one of the marquee events of 2026.

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

View all posts by Ben Axelrod