When Dana White, the president and CEO of the UFC, sat down for dinner at the White House Rose Garden recently, he wasn’t expecting to leave with a production crisis on his hands. But that’s exactly what happened. The man who has staged fights in virtually every kind of arena on the planet looked around at the newly renovated outdoor space, watched thousands of gnats swarm under the lights, and reportedly said, “Holy s–t.”
This wasn’t just a guy annoyed by bugs at dinner. White is weeks away from pulling off the most ambitious event in UFC history, a massive fight card on the South Lawn of the White House. And the gnats he saw that evening just became his biggest headache. Here’s everything we know about the infestation, the insane event it threatens, and the surprisingly weird backstory behind the Rose Garden itself.
A Dinner Invitation That Turned Into a Bug Emergency
White described the whole thing on the Boardroom podcast on Monday, and he did not sugarcoat it. President Trump had just reopened the renovated Rose Garden and invited White to dinner there. The setting was supposed to be impressive. Instead, White spent the evening swatting gnats.
“President Trump just opened the Rose Garden two nights ago, and he invited me to dinner there,” White said. “The amount of gnats that were flying around. I’m like, Holy s–t.”
As soon as he got on his plane after dinner, White called his head of production to sound the alarm about what he called “the gnat situation.” This wasn’t a casual mention. This was an all-hands-on-deck phone call about bugs.
For most of us, gnats at an outdoor dinner are annoying. For Dana White, they represent a potential disaster that could play out on national television in front of millions of viewers. And he knows it.
Why Bugs Are a Way Bigger Problem Than You Think for a UFC Fight
Here’s the thing most people don’t consider. UFC events use incredibly powerful lighting rigs. We’re talking industrial broadcast-quality lights that are exponentially stronger than whatever was illuminating that Rose Garden dinner. And powerful lights attract insects at rates that make a backyard cookout look like nothing.
White explained the problem in terms of the fighters themselves. “So when you’re a fighter, think about that lighting grid, the amount of power in the lights,” he said. “Moths, gnats, and God knows what else.”
Now imagine you’re a professional fighter in the middle of a championship bout. You’ve trained for months. You’re under those blazing lights, dripping with sweat, and there are clouds of gnats in your eyes, your nose, your mouth. That’s not just uncomfortable. It could legitimately affect the outcome of a fight. A split second of distraction at that level can mean getting knocked out.
White has always said he hates fighting outside. “That’s why I don’t like fighting outside. Ever,” he said on the podcast. This event is forcing him to do the exact thing he’s spent his career avoiding.
His Only Plan So Far? Industrial Fans and Hope
When asked what he was going to do about the bugs, White’s answer was refreshingly honest. He doesn’t have a great solution yet. His best idea so far is to ring the entire venue with industrial fans, since gnats have a hard time flying in strong wind.
“Maybe we put fans in because gnats have a hard time in the wind,” White said. “I don’t know, man.”
That’s the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar sports organization saying “I don’t know, man” about gnats. There is something very funny about that. Outdoor event organizers typically deal with insects through barrier sprays, fogging treatments, trimming vegetation, and routine inspections before the event. Those methods, combined with strong airflow, can cut down the problem significantly. But “cut down” is different from “eliminate,” and on live national television, even a reduced swarm is going to be noticeable.
As of mid-May 2026, just weeks before the event, White admitted the bug problem is not fully resolved.
The Rose Garden Renovation That May Have Made It Worse
Here’s where the story gets more interesting. Trump tore out the grass in the Rose Garden and replaced it with stone, turning the space into a patio that looks a lot like something you’d see at Mar-a-Lago. The renovation was nearly complete by August 2025, using Indiana limestone laid in a diamond pattern. Solar-powered in-ground lighting was added along the new patio.
Trump’s explanation for ripping out the grass? Women had trouble walking in high heels on the wet lawn. That was his actual reasoning.
But the new rose bushes installed as part of the renovation may have created a perfect breeding ground for insects. Multiple reports noted that the new plantings attracted thousands of unwanted visitors. So in trying to class up the place, the renovation might have accidentally rolled out the welcome mat for every gnat in Washington, D.C.
Trump himself called the White House a “s–t house” while speaking to attendees at the Rose Garden dinner, saying the place “was not properly taken care of.” His wife Melania apparently warned him to “act presidential” and not use foul language. He did not listen.
The Rose Garden Has Over a Century of History Behind It
The Rose Garden wasn’t always a political stage. It was originally established in 1913 by First Lady Ellen Louise Axson Wilson, wife of President Woodrow Wilson, and designed by landscape architect George Burnap. It’s about 125 feet long and 60 feet wide.
President Kennedy later reimagined it as an outdoor room for meetings and receptions. Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, noted that Kennedy “wanted an outdoor room, a space where you could have outdoor meetings, receptions, events.” That vision held for decades.
Presidential historian Michael Beschloss called Melania Trump’s 2020 renovation of the garden an “evisceration,” saying “decades of American history was made to disappear.” And now, with the grass replaced by stone and the new plantings apparently serving as a gnat magnet, the garden has gone through yet another transformation. It’s a long way from Ellen Wilson’s original vision.
UFC Freedom 250 Is Unlike Anything the UFC Has Ever Done
Bugs aside, the event itself is absolutely wild. UFC Freedom 250 is scheduled for June 14, 2026, on the South Lawn of the White House. It’s the first sporting event ever held there. The date coincides with Trump’s 80th birthday, Flag Day, and the 250th anniversary of American independence. That is a lot of symbolism packed into one Saturday.
The fight card is stacked. The main event is a lightweight championship unification bout between Ilia Topuria (17-0-0) and Justin Gaethje (27-5-0). The co-main features Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane for the Interim Heavyweight Championship. There are several other high-profile bouts, including Derrick Lewis, the UFC’s all-time knockout king with 16 career KOs.
A temporary 4,300-seat arena is being built on the South Lawn. Most of those seats are going to military invitees. Trump has 1,000 tickets. White and TKO CEO Ari Emanuel each have 200. The remaining tickets? Available through sponsorship packages costing up to $1.5 million. Yes, you read that right. One point five million dollars for a ticket.
For the rest of us, there’s a consolation prize. About 85,000 fans can watch for free on large screens at the Ellipse, a 52-acre park near the White House. The UFC is also running fan events throughout Washington, D.C., that week. White called D.C. “a really cool city” and encouraged fans who’ve never visited to come out.
This Event Costs $60 Million and Is Not Expected to Make Money
The UFC is covering the entire cost of the event, estimated at a staggering $60 million. That includes roughly $700,000 just to restore the South Lawn afterward. No taxpayer money is being used. For comparison, the UFC 306 event at the Sphere in Las Vegas in September 2024 cost about $21 million. So this is nearly three times that budget.
TKO president Mark Shapiro has said the event is not expected to turn a profit. The goal is to recoup about half the total cost through sponsors and partnerships. Crypto.com is putting up a $1 million cryptocurrency bonus for the top performer on the card. The event will air on Paramount+ and be simulcast on CBS.
Oh, and the fighters will walk out of the Oval Office for their entrances. That’s not a joke. The actual Oval Office. Whatever you think about this event politically, that is an objectively insane visual.
Bugs Aren’t Even the Only Problem
White also mentioned weather as a serious concern. Washington, D.C., in June is unpredictable. You might get beautiful sunshine. You might get a thunderstorm. You might get both in the same hour. White said the fights would go on through rain, wind, and humidity. The only thing that would stop the show is lightning.
“If it f–king snows, we’re fighting,” White reportedly said.
The event was originally planned for July 4, but logistical issues pushed it to June 14. Trump first announced it during a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on July 3, 2025, where he estimated 20,000 to 25,000 attendees. Security concerns later slashed that number down to under 5,000 for the main venue.
So to sum it all up: Dana White went to dinner at the White House, got swarmed by gnats, and is now scrambling to figure out how to keep insects off fighters, out of camera shots, and away from a live CBS broadcast, all while spending $60 million on an event he doesn’t expect to make money on, in an outdoor setting he has always refused to use. And the bugs might be there because of the new rose bushes Trump planted after paving over the lawn so women could wear high heels.
You genuinely could not make this stuff up.
