Three Fights UFC Should Book on a Potential White House Show

UFC is firing on all cylinders at the moment. The company has its next superstar already anointed in the form of Ilia Topuria, with El Matador recently becoming a two-weight world champion with a brutal knockout of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. They also already have their next huge superfight ready to go between the Georgia-born Spaniard and Dagestani wrestling ace Islam Makhachev. 

The two looked to be on a collision course when Topuria vacated his featherweight title and stepped up to lightweight, the division where Makhachev was the champion. However, the Russian also had ideas of going up in weight, and he too vacated his strap and embarked upon a crusade for welterweight gold, a crusade that online betting sites make him a favorite to succeed in. The latest online UFC betting odds make Makhchev a -260 betting favorite to win his upcoming clash with 170-pound champion Jack Della Maddalena, but even that clash isn’t the biggest talking point in the UFC at present. 

At a recent press conference, MMA fans could scarcely believe their ears when US President Donald Trump floated the idea of hosting a UFC event at the White House. The announcement exploded across social media, igniting waves of intrigue and speculation from Pennsylvania Avenue to the Las Vegas Strip. But should the Octagon be constructed beneath the columns, which matchups should headline a blockbuster card?

Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall

If history teaches us anything, it’s that greatness never truly retires. Jon “Bones” Jones is a controversial figure, but he will go down in history as one of the greatest. The former light heavyweight and heavyweight world champion recently announced his retirement – well, Dana White did it for him in Baku, Azerbaijan, weirdly – but the American sensation is already considering a return. And that is purely because he wants to fight on a potential White House show. 

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Jones delivered a masterclass in what is currently his final outing, dispatching Stipe Miocic in a legacy bout with a brutal body shot. President Trump was in the front row for that particular victory, and Jones duly celebrated in the Octagon with the Big Don’s famous shuffle dance. Should he get the opportunity to, boy would he love to bring out the Trump shuffle on the grounds of the White House too. 

There is only one option for an opponent. That, of course, is Tom Aspinall, the man who has inherited the heavyweight championship in Jones’ retirement. The Englishman waited for a clash with Jonny Bones for the better part of a year, only for Jones to leave him high and dry and retire. Should he come back, then it’s only fair that Aspinall is first in line, and flying the Union Jack on the most hallowed ground in America would surely be an unbelievable moment for the British fighter. 

Jones has long been a master of adaptation, outclassing rivals with cerebral game plans and preternatural reach. But Aspinall is no ordinary challenger. He brings the urgency of youth and a toolkit designed for disruption. Could the future of heavyweight MMA topple the greatest to ever grace the division, and in front of a White House crowd no less? 

Derrick Lewis vs. Sergei Pavlovich

If fight cards are built for fireworks, then Derrick Lewis is the man to light the fuse. The Black Beast is the most prolific knockout artist in UFC history, with 15 KOs detonating across his career. Fans remember not just the violence but the humor—his 2018 crushing of Russia’s Alexander Volkov, and the now-legendary post-fight quip: “Donald Trump called me and told me I gotta knock this Russian (expletive) out.”

Well, what better way to usher in a White House card than with another Lewis vs Russia bout, specifically against Sergei Pavlovich? The 33-year-old is Russia’s answer to the question “Who hits hardest?” He is an absolute juggernaut, ending all six of his UFC victories via first-round knockout, a feat few can even dream of matching. 

One punch could decide the outcome, and one soundbite could seize the world’s attention. Would Lewis channel the patriotic fervor of a partisan crowd to flatten another Russian challenger on the most symbolic soil in the land? Or would Pavlovich spoil the party, his own bombs rewriting history in devastating silence? 

Colby Covington vs. Anyone

If the drama of a UFC event at the White House needed a face, Colby Covington would arrive grinning, MAGA hat in hand. No fighter has entwined sport and politics as tightly as Chaos. His walkouts are part wrestling heel, part campaign rally—waving the American flag, shouting slogans, polarizing crowds with every word. He’s more than a provocateur; he’s turned himself into the living embodiment of American controversy.

In recent years, there can be no denying that Covington has fallen off somewhat. Four losses in his last six bouts ensure that he is no longer a title contender, but he could certainly open the show at the White House against just about anyone. The narrative writes itself. 

Let the UFC lean into the pre-written storyline. Pair Covington with a rival who stands in ideological opposition, or with a globally recognized star with a contrasting persona. Maybe a third bout with Kamaru Usman would do the trick? Covington demands attention, whether loved or loathed. And for this event, his signature blend of wrestling and rhetoric is a catalyst that few venues, other than the White House, could ever hope to contain.