The White House card, also known as UFC Freedom 250, is the UFC’s flagship event for 2026.
Whilst the promotion has held marquee events in the past like UFC Noche at The Sphere in Las Vegas, the prestige of holding an event in DC at the Presidential residence is one-of-a-kind for CEO Dana White, ever since he and the Fertitta brothers purchased the name and brand for $2 million back in 2001.
The fight card will be held outside something that White has been notoriously hesitant to do in the past when discussing potential venues to host numbered events and fight nights in the past.
Yet, as White noted whilst appearing with streamer Adin Ross, UFC Freedom 250 will go on regardless of the weather and conditions, with one small exception – lightning.
When asked by Ross about the possibility of there being rain on June 14, the day of UFC Freedom 250, White maintained that the fights would continue on as planned.
“We’re fighting.” White replied. “If it f**ing snows we are fighting.”
“The only thing – nothing will stop this show going that night, it can rain it can snow, [except] lightning. Lightning is the only thing.”
White then elaborated on what the UFC would have to do in the case that lightning does appear, before giving further clarity as to why he tends to avoid planning fight cards that are at the mercy of the elements.
“And what we’d have to do is just wait the lightning out and then do the fight. Listen, this is why I don’t like doing things outside. Obviously rain would suck, heavy winds will suck. If its muggy and [there are many] bugs. All this kind of s*** is stuff that you have to deal with when you do something outside. But we’re going through all of it. Any of those things happen, it doesn’t matter, we’re still going… lightning is the only thing that would really screw us.”
How Likely is There to Be Lightning in DC on June 14?
Lightning would certainly be an unfortunate thing to happen during one of the biggest events in UFC history. And due to DC having a humid subtropical climate that makes it humid in the summer, thunderstorms are actually more common in the summer than in the winter when it’s colder and dryer.
May to September is the district’s storm season, and from 2010 to 2019 there were an average of 557 cloud-to-ground lightning flashes per year in DC, many of which occur in the summer months when the storms are more frequent and prominent.
There are also average 8 days of rain in June – around 1 in every 4 days, so the chances of even some minor but non-disruptive weather are certainly well within the realm of possibility.
But for all involved, the hope is that the event will go on as planned and that the conditions are as clean and pleasant as one can hope for in DC in June.
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