In June, the UFC staged the Freedom 250 event at the White House, attended by President Donald Trump. The event, which coincided with his 80th birthday, resulted in an approximate $30m loss for UFC owners, according to Andrew Schleimer, CFO of TKO Group.

Schleimer noted that while they "partially offset" costs with sold‑out global partnership inventory, the high‑profile nature of the event still significantly impacted margins.

Despite the loss, UFC revenue rose 29% year‑over‑year to $535.7m, driven largely by a $64.7m media‑rights boost from a new seven‑year contract with Paramount, which will stream UFC on its platform Paramount+ starting in 2026.

The Freedom 250 drew an average of 34 million viewers worldwide, making it one of the most‑watched mixed‑martial‑arts events ever, but the cost of staging it at the White House proved a costly gamble for the organization.