The UFC is hosting fights at the White House tonight.
Here's what you need to know:
1. The UFC is spending $60 million to put on this event.
That's way more than the $3-4 million the company typically spends to put on an event and three times the $20 million it spent at the Las Vegas Sphere in 2024.
2. The UFC sold $30 million in corporate sponsorship deals — Ram Trucks, Crypto(.)com, Polymarket, Bud Light — with individual packages selling for $1.5 million.
3. Since tickets are being given out for free, the event is expected to lose about $30 million.
4. The UFC's $7.7 billion media rights deal with Paramount allows some fights to be simulcast on CBS, but tonight's entire event will only be available on the Paramount+ streaming service.
5. There will be 4,000 people on the South Lawn for the event — Trump controls about 1,000 tickets, with Dana White and Ari Emanuel controlling another 500 or so. The remaining seats were given to active duty military members. These military members had to meet body composition standards and pay for their own travel.
6. The UFC installed a giant arch over the octagon known as the Claw. The structure is massive — 60 tons, 154 feet wide, and 92 feet high, with a 100-by-100-foot canopy and 800 lighting fixtures — and since the UFC isn't allowed to dig into the South Lawn, engineers added 40 tons of weight to each leg to hold it down.
7. The Claw was flown from Belgium to Philadelphia, test-assembled in Philly, and then trucked down to DC. Each truck was placed in storage before being searched by the Secret Service, and the UFC needed 38 days to assemble everything (compared to their normal 2 days).
8. The UFC is covering all production costs, but taxpayers are still on the hook for $10-12 million in supplemental security costs. The White House says this money would have been spent anyway and that it comes from a federal fund (approved by Congress) specifically allocated for events surrounding the country's 250th birthday.
9. Since attendance on the South Lawn is invite-only (and limited to 4,000 people), the UFC is holding a watch party at the Eliipise. Roughly 85,000 tickets have been distributed for free, and while the UFC plans to sell food, beverages, and merchandise, Dana White told ESPN that "the government will get a piece of it."
10. Every fighter will be wearing custom red, white, and blue gloves with an American flag stitched on the wrist.
BONUS: Trump's latest financial disclosure indicates that he purchased up to $50,000 in TKO stock, the parent company of the UFC. Some say this is a conflict of interest, while others claim it is insignificant, given that his full financial disclosure included over 3,700 stock and bond trades worth more than $220 million.
That's it for today. Enjoy the event, and if you want to learn more about the business and money behind sports, join 135,000 others who read my newsletter.
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@Polymarket still haven’t been paid for my bet I made on Boston breach yesterday.
That was @ 12:00pm PT and was over and done with @ 1:15pm PT.
It’s not 9:00am PT the next day and I still have not been paid out.
@arielhelwani Not a single real tear.
A lot of acting here for somebody that’s Canadian and not a real Knicks fan.
You do this acting thing a lot though it’s very obvious why nobody likes you.
I think she just gave lip readers a bit more fodder. 🤬🤣
The Sportsnet producers who caught that and put it together are the real heroes in my mind. #BlueJays50
Indianapolis Motor Speedway is so big that it could fit:
• Churchill Downs
• Yankee Stadium
• Rose Bowl
• Taj Mahal
• The White House
• Liberty Island
• Roman Colosseum
• Vatican City
And at 300,000+ people, the Indy 500 is the world's biggest single-day sporting event.
Seeing Marco Andretti console David Malukas is tough.
One of very few people who deeply, truly understands how he feels. It's a long time until the next Indy 500 and nothing is guaranteed.
David will have the world backing him every time he shows up.
In Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Julia Roberts received her script with a $20 bill & a note from George Clooney that read,
“I hear you’re getting 20 a picture now.”
It was Clooney’s playful nod to her record-breaking $20 million payday for Erin Brockovich.
@JoeDellera Joey baby what’s going on with your bets?
My god. I bet them all solo. I bet them all together. I bet them all in doubles.
About to tell the kids no Christmas this year.
NEW: Dante Moore tells @PeteNakos his teammates played a role in his decision to return to Oregon over entering the NFL Draft:
“When I look into my teammates’ eyes and see how dedicated they are to the game, [it] makes me play harder for the teammate next to me. I don’t intend to look at my competition as much as look at my brothers and know their why, know their reason why they play football. At the end of the day, we just lock in and handle business. My teammates help push me day-to-day. That’s my why, my teammates.”
Exclusive: https://t.co/w69u5XyKkA
Sheryl Underwood reunites with Shane Gillis after the Kevin Hart roast and explains why she did NOT get offended by the jokes he made about her late husband, saying humor can be one of the best ways to cope with grief and tragedy 👏🔥👀
“Don’t be offended for me if I’m not offended!!”
"Humor is a powerful tool that helps us navigate the most difficult moments in life. At my husband's funeral, when my best friend Peaches was wailing and showing out, I approached her and said, 'Bitch, the f-ck are you doing?' We ended up laughing, and that laughter was a way for us to cope with the pain. It’s through these moments that we find relief and connection, reminding us that even in tragedy, we can still share a laugh and support each other”