After it was announced that the White House would host a UFC event on its grounds next year, the news became one of the biggest combat sports stories of the year. Reactions, fighters requesting to fight on the historic event, and fight card predictions flooded the news cycle.
UFC CEO Dana White promised the event would feature the best fight card in the promotion’s history and released renderings of what the production will look like.
With the high-profile nature of the event and the amount of viewership it’ll likely receive, fighters from all of the world have expressed the desire to be featured, including former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. When he first heard the news about a White House event, Whittaker didn’t think it would actually happen.
“For one, I thought this whole White House UFC event was just talk to be honest. I thought it was just something exciting to throw out there for people to talk about. I didn’t think it would actually have any legs, or that it would eventuate,” Whittaker said on the MMArcade Podcast. “This is wild.”
“It’s a historical event. It would be absolutely out of this world. I don’t know how to put it into words just how significant it would be,” Whittaker continued. “Like, it’s such a big deal that I really need to sit down and digest just like what sort of effect it would have on the UFC, what sort of effect it would have on government,” Whittaker said. “What sort of effect it would have having those two side by side for a moment.”
Whittaker believes an American should headline the fight card, but would love to be part of the event.
“100-billion-percent (I’d want to be on the fight card),” he said. “100-billion-percent. It doesn’t matter timing, or anything else. It’s an event for the history books. I think it’ll be something special, and I’d like to be part of it.”