TLDR
- UFC flyweight Brandon Royval has no interest in fighting at the UFC White House event scheduled for June 14, 2026
- Royval compared the event to “The Hunger Games” and said he doesn’t want to fight in front of politicians and wealthy people
- Former UFC champion Sean Strickland publicly supported Royval’s stance with clapping emojis on social media
- Jon Jones has been lobbying to fight Alex Pereira at the White House event, but Dana White has rejected his requests
- The White House card will celebrate 250 years of American independence and is expected to feature major fights
Brandon Royval Rejects UFC White House Card as Sean Strickland Backs Flyweight’s Stance
The UFC plans to hold an event at the White House on June 14, 2026. President Donald Trump first mentioned the idea in summer 2024, and it quickly became official.
UFC CEO Dana White has called it the biggest card he will ever put together. The event will take place outdoors on the South Lawn of the White House.
Fight week will include a press conference and weigh-ins at the Lincoln Memorial steps. White also plans to bring in about 85,000 fans to watch on large screens at The Ellipse.
The card will celebrate 250 years of American independence. Several big-name fighters have already expressed interest in competing at the historic event.
Conor McGregor wants to make his UFC comeback at the White House. Fighters like Kayla Harrison and Ilia Topuria have also shown interest in being part of the card.
But not every fighter shares that excitement. UFC flyweight Brandon Royval made it clear he has zero interest in the event.
Royval Compares White House Event to Hunger Games
Royval spoke with In The Arena MMA this week about the upcoming event. He did not hold back his feelings about fighting at the White House.
‼️Brandon Royval on the UFC White House Card:
“To fight in front of them seems like some Hunger Games sh*t. I don’t care to fight in front of a bunch of billionaires who couldn’t care less about me. I wanna fight in front of people that are fans of MMA and can relate to me” pic.twitter.com/WUYtRCIY7f
— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) November 12, 2025
“I don’t give a s*** if I fight at the White House,” Royval said. He questioned how large the crowd could even be at the venue.
The 33-year-old flyweight compared the event to The Hunger Games. He said fighting in front of politicians and wealthy people doesn’t appeal to him.
“I don’t care to fight in front of a bunch of billionaires and rich people who couldn’t care less about me,” Royval explained. He wants to compete in front of true MMA fans who can relate to him.
Royval challenged Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title at UFC 296 in December 2023. He lost that fight by unanimous decision.
The American fighter bounced back with wins over Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira in 2024. His last fight was a title eliminator against Joshua Van, which he lost.
Van now faces Pantoja for the belt at UFC 323. Royval will headline UFC Vegas 113 on the final card of 2025 against Manel Kape.
Strickland Supports Royval’s Position
Royval’s comments sparked debate among fans and fighters. Many praised his honest take on the White House event.
Former UFC champion Sean Strickland came out in support of Royval’s stance. Strickland responded to Royval’s comments with clapping emojis on social media.
Brandon Royval could care less about fighting on White House card.
Compares fighting in front of billionaires/politicians to the Hunger Games.
Would rather fight in arena in front of “real fans of the sport”
Via @IntheArenaMMA_ pic.twitter.com/K1oe41VXKg
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) November 12, 2025
Strickland explained his view in follow-up posts. “It will just be the boys club and political elites but I hope I’m wrong,” he wrote.
The middleweight contender admitted he would still fight at the event if asked. “I’d fight on it but I get what he is saying. He’s 100 percent right,” Strickland added.
Jon Jones has taken the opposite approach from Royval and Strickland. The UFC heavyweight champion walked back his retirement talk after the White House event was announced.
Jones has been pushing for a super-fight against Alex Pereira at the White House. He recently released a video promo campaigning for the matchup.
Dana White has rejected Jones’ requests multiple times. White cited Jones’ history of pulling out of fights as the reason for turning him down.
The UFC has not confirmed any fights for the White House card yet. The promotion plans to start making fight announcements in February 2026.
