Dana White says the UFC’s historic White House card on June 14 is moving full steam ahead, with extensive plans in place to keep the event running on the south lawn regardless of the elements.
The UFC is building a structure around and over the octagon to protect the card from the weather, and White made it clear that only one thing could halt the action. “Nothing will stop this show going that night, it could f*cking rain — lightning. Lightning is the only thing. We’d have to wait it out. We’d have to wait the lightning out and then do the fight.”
White acknowledged his long-standing hesitation about outdoor events but emphasized the promotion’s commitment to pushing through. “Listen, this is why I don’t like doing things outside,” he said, before adding, “But we’re going through all of it. If any of those things happen, it doesn’t matter, we’re still going. Like I said, if it f*cking snows, we’re going. Lightning is the only thing that will really screw us.”
Staging on the south lawn is set to start in May, with White noting, “We actually start loading into the White House in May. We start setting up in May. Normally we come here [to Miami], you start moving in a couple of days before the event. We’ll be moving in over a month ahead.”
Fans will get an early glimpse of the unique setup soon. “Actually the fight this Saturday will be the first look people will see what the south lawn is going to look like,” White said, adding it will air “on the fight on Paramount this weekend.”
