UFC to pay White House fighters in crypto issued by Trump company

Source: The Guardian

Sun 14 Jun 2026 08.20 EDT
Last modified on Sun 14 Jun 2026 09.51 EDT


The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced on Friday that it will pay bonuses to fighters in a form of cryptocurrency issued by Trump family business World Liberty Financial at the heavily publicized White House mixed martial arts event on Sunday. The development connects the Trump family’s financial interests to the high-profile UFC competition being promoted on government property. The competition on the south White House lawn is scheduled for 14 June, Donald Trump’s birthday.

The UFC said some fighters will receive bonuses in World Liberty Financial crypto called “stablecoins”, whose value is pegged to the US dollar. World Liberty named the currency “USD1”.

World Liberty is a venture of the Trump family and the family of Steven Witkoff, Trump’s friend and special envoy to the Middle East. The company is now listed as an “official sponsor” of UFC Freedom 250, the fight scheduled for Sunday. The use of its stablecoin in the fight would appear to boost efforts to have it used more more broadly. White House spokesman Davis Ingle said there is no conflict of interest and that Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children.

“The Fake News’ continued attempts to fabricate conflicts of interest are irresponsible and reinforce the public’s distrust in what they read.”. The fight is not linked to America250, a separate organization promoting the 250th anniversary of the country. World Liberty Financial, a Delaware-based cryptocurrency venture co-founded by Donald Trump and his sons in 2024 alongside the Witkoff sons , has emerged as one of the highest-profile businesses connected to the president’s family.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/14/white-house-ufc-fighters-crypto