A heavyweight slugfest has been added to the UFC’s landmark White House card after a direct request from President Donald Trump, UFC CEO Dana White revealed on Saturday night.
“Why Isn’t Derrick Lewis on the White House Card?” – Trump Personally Requests Heavyweight, Says Dana White
During a cageside conversation at UFC 327 inside Miami’s Kaseya Center, President Trump leaned over to his longtime friend and asked a pointed question about the upcoming June 14 event.
“Why is Derrick Lewis not on the White House card?” White recalled the president asking.
Dana White reveals he added Derrick Lewis vs. Josh Hokit to the #UFCWhiteHouse card for President Trump:
“An hour before that, the President said to me, ‘Why is Derrick Lewis not on the White House card?’ I said, ‘I’ll be back in 5 minutes.'” pic.twitter.com/h8cGFYpvoJ
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) April 12, 2026
White said he excused himself and immediately called the UFC’s all-time knockout leader. Lewis’ response was characteristically blunt.
“Politics. Politics kept me off the White House card,” Lewis told White, according to the UFC CEO.
“Do you want to fight on the card?” White asked. Lewis replied without hesitation,
“I absolutely want to fight on the card. Tell the president thank you”.
Just moments earlier, rising heavyweight contender Josh Hokit (8-0) had engaged in a bloody, back-and-forth war against Curtis Blaydes on the main card of UFC 327, earning Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses worth $200,000.
As Hokit was being loaded into an ambulance following the brutal battle, UFC commentator Joe Rogan posed a timely question on the broadcast.
“Joe Rogan goes, ‘Is there another slot open on the White House card for Hokit?’” White recounted.
“I go, ‘Holy s***.’ I grab Mick and say,
‘Go back there and talk and see if he’s in.’ Hokit was getting into an ambulance and says yes”.
White later told reporters, “President Trump built half of that fight, and Rogan built the other half”.
The newly scheduled clash, which pits Lewis (29-13) against Hokit (9-0), will serve as the seventh fight on the UFC Freedom 250 card.
The event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 14, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C..
The historic occasion will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, coinciding with President Trump’s 80th birthday. The card is free and open to the public, with a two-day Fan Fest planned on the Ellipse.
White has long said Trump is a fan of the Houston-based heavyweight. “He likes Derrick Lewis, he likes his personality, he likes the way he fights,” White said of the president.
Lewis holds the UFC record for most knockouts in history with 16 and remains one of the most popular figures in the sport.
