Colby Covington teased that he is in active negotiations to compete on the UFC’s upcoming White House card. The event is scheduled for Jun. 14 and will coincide with the United States’ 250th anniversary.
The historic event was officially confirmed last year by Dana White and President Donald Trump. Both men have promised a spectacular event. Since then, Covington has been among the fighters who have publicly expressed interest in being included.
For Covington, competing at the White House would be a significant honor. It would not only would important for his career but also for his legacy in MMA.
“I’ve been negotiating with the UFC for the White House card. You know, that’s the one that I want,” Covington said during an appearance on Hot Cakes & Hot Takes. I told them this is important to my legacy and important to my career.
Covington, who headlined a pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden, described the potential fight as the biggest of his career.
“This would be the biggest fight I’ve ever had is to fight on the south lawn in front of the President would be the greatest honor of my career,” Covington said. “We’re in negotiations right now.”
His remarks highlight how American fighters view the significance of participating of this once-in-a-lifetime event at the White House.
Colby Covington Reveals Potential Opponent for UFC’s White House Event
Colby Covington also revealed who could potentially be his opponent should he compete at the White House event.
Covington noted that it would not be American opponent, as he believes a nation vs. nation matchup would be more appealing. As a result, ‘Chaos’ revealed that Paddy Pimblett is the opponent that interests him.
“I’d really like to fight with Paddy Pimblett. He had shown interest that he might want to come up a weight class to welterweight. He’s cutting a lot of weight to get to 155 [pounds]. The kid weighs 200 [pounds], he looks like [expletive],” Covington told Hot Cakes & Hot Takes.
He added:
“I love that fight. Plus, it’s a fight where it’s an American vs. a British guy. I don’t want to fight an American guy on the card of the 250th birthday of America.”
Pimblett recently fought at UFC 324, losing a unanimous decision to Justin Gaethje in an interim lightweight title fight. It will depend on whether Pimblett has any desire to move up to 170 pounds.
Covington Competed in RAF During UFC Inactivity
Covington last fought at UFC Tampa in December, 2024, where he lost to Joaquin Buckley by TKO via doctor’s stoppage. If he were to return at the White House event, it would mark 18 months of inactivity.
To stay active, Covington recently competed against former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold in a RAF wrestling match. Covington expressed gratitude to the UFC for allowing him to compete against Rockhold in RAF.
“It’s one of the main aspects of mixed martial arts, but it’s no competition to the UFC because they’re completely different sports,” Covington told Hot Cakes & Hot Takes. “Luckily the UFC is allowing us to compete in RAF and I want to build this league up into a mainstream sport.”
Colby Covington Teases Negotiations for a Fight at UFC White House Event