Jon Stewart: White House UFC event ‘devalued both combat sports and national dignity’

Skip to content

Comedian Jon Stewart late Monday slammed the White House UFC event held over the weekend, saying it “devalued both combat sports and national dignity.”

“What a god awful mockery of an event that somehow managed to find a way to devalue both combat sports and our national dignity. Who even aired this embarrassing s—?” Stewart asked during the latest episode of “The Daily Show.”

The comedian described the event as an effort to turn The People’s House, a frequent nickname for the White House, into a “gold-plated pummeling center.”

Stewart also labeled President Trump a “gladiator’s god” for hosting the series of fights on the White House South Lawn.

A lawsuit seeking to block the event was struck down by a judge on Friday, two days before the match occurred.

However, the suit drew attention to a growing group of citizens who raised concerns about corporate branding at the White House and destruction to the grounds caused by the construction of an octagon cage for fighting.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta said plaintiffs fell short of showing they are ‘directly affected’ by Defendants’ actions in his 15 page ruling.

UFC President and CEO Dana White said the event would “never happen again” but touted its fanfare amidst the celebration of America’s 250th founding anniversary.

“It was an amazing experience; this was a one-of-one,” White said, according to The Associated Press.

“It will never happen again,” he added.

Comedian Bill Maher also criticized the event, characterizing it as an homage to Trump, who turned 80 on the same day as the matches.

“Our redneck president is turning 80, and to celebrate there is a UFC fight on the lawn,” the comedian said during his opening monologue for his show “Real Time” on Friday evening.

“So the emperor is holding gladiator games on his birthday,” he added.

Tags

Amit Mehta

Bill Maher

Dana White

Donald Trump

Freedom 250

Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart

Trump administration

ufc

White House cage match

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.