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Jun 14, 2026
Analyzed by Llama- 4 Scout 17B 16E Instruct

UFC to Pay Fighters in Trump-Linked Cryptocurrency at White House Event

AI Summary
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will pay bonuses to fighters in a cryptocurrency called USD1, issued by World Liberty Financial, a company linked to the Trump family, at a White House event on Sunday.

The UFC's Crypto Bonus Plan

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.

Event Details

The competition on the south White House lawn is scheduled for June 14, 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”.

Financial Impact

  • World Liberty Financial 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.
  • Donald Trump Sr was publicly listed by the company as its “Chief Crypto Advocate”.
  • His financial disclosure form lists his holdings in World Liberty Financial as “over $50m ”.

Conflict of Interest Concerns

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.”

Crypto Controversies

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. The firm has also applied for a banking license from the Office of Comptroller of the Currency.

Future Outlook

“This sounds like advertising,” Todd Phillips, an expert in crypto at the Klaros Group, told the Guardian. He said “Paying the fighters in the USD1 stablecoin would have the same economic function as writing them a check but announcing to the world they are doing it in USD1 sounds like they are adverting to the world that USD1 is out there and that it is connected to the UFC and the White House.