The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s brewing labor crisis is in focus as the star-studded card many envisioned for Donald Trump’s White House UFC event dims.
Trump is planning to host several UFC fights on the White House lawn later this year as part of his self-aggrandizing — and potentially self-enriching — celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary. The UFC fights are being hosted on June 14, which is also Trump’s 80th birthday, as part of a corporate-backed program called Freedom 250, which Democrats fear may be used as a slush fund for Trump or his associates.
Some people interested in watching this had hoped for a card filled with household names, such as Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey or Jon Jones, perhaps. But those hopes appear to have been sacked, leading to what some combat sports reporters have described as an underwhelming slate of fights. (As in the world of prizefighting, reversals are certainly possible.)
Issues over the notoriously anti-union UFC’s compensation and its treatment of fighters are being brought to the fore amid grumblings over the middling card. UFC CEO and President Dana White, who has previously rebuffed calls to increase fighters’ pay, earlier this week denied claims made by Jones that he’d been “lowballed” in an offer to fight at the White House. White said Jones was never in consideration for the White House card, a somewhat sad claim, given Jones’ pro-Trump antics.
But allegations of athlete exploitation are nothing new for the UFC.
As pro-labor media outlet More Perfect Union notes in a video report published late last week, fighters’ claims about the UFC locking them into exploitive contracts remain, even as the UFC embarks on a $7.7 billion streaming deal with Paramount and its pro-Trump executives. The mixed martial arts league continues to face antitrust litigation brought by fighters after settling a class-action lawsuit in 2024 for $375 million. Rousey, a former UFC champion, went on a rant against the UFC and its alleged mistreatment of fighters during a press event Tuesday. Her comments came after someone asked about Jones being left off the White House card. (Rousey is slated to fight mixed martial artist Gina Carano in a match backed by influencer Jake Paul’s company, not the UFC.) Rousey spoke of fighters having to look elsewhere for work due to the UFC’s pay, and said it’s wrong that some fighters can’t afford to feed their families despite the UFC’s massive deal with Paramount.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog. 
