Khamzat Chimaev provides answer on potential White House event appearance with message to Donald Trump

When the UFC holds an event at the White House in 2026, it will likely be the biggest event ever and will be filled with the biggest names in the sport.

Earlier this year, the U.S. president Donald Trump made a staggering announcement that on July 4 2026, the UFC will hold a monumental event at the White House.

Not long after, two of the sport’s biggest names in Jon Jones and Conor McGregor stated their interest in competing at the event, setting it up to be a one-of-a-kind spectacle.

UFC boss Dana White has since explained that the event will be ‘the Sphere on steroids’, which has got fans excited for what could be in store.

However, one fighter that likely won’t be making an appearance on the monumental event is upcoming middleweight title challenger, Khamzat Chimaev.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesChimaev gives hilarious answer to potential White House event appearanceIn just over a week’s time, Chimaev will finally fight for UFC gold when he takes on Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC 319 main event in Chicago, in what will be his first fight in the States since 2022.

For a while, it seemed as though Chimaev was unable to enter the United States as the UFC kept booking his fights for the Middle East, which hindered his activity.

And so it came as quite the shock to the fanbase when the promotion announced that he would return to action in the Windy City.

In a recent interview ahead of his upcoming fight, Chimaev revealed that he didn’t have a visa to enter the U.S. but was finally granted one by Donald Trump.

“(The inactivity) wasn’t my fault, I didn’t have a visa for the U.S. that’s why I only fought once in Abu Dhabi, so now, Donald Trump he helped so we go for a fight,” Chimaev said.

However, despite finally acquiring a visa to fight in America, ‘Borz’ has admitted it is unlikely that he will be allowed to fight on the White House event, despite being one of the biggest stars on the roster.

“Bro, look at my face, I don’t think they’ll let me come over there. I mean, bro, I don’t know, I’m an athlete, you know, a sportsman, all my life I’ve been training, some people put me in the position of political s—, break my visa down, I don’t know why I’m just doing it for my family, fighting and training.

“Athletes don’t have to be with politics, I’m not connected. If someone wants to meet me, I never say no, why should they do that, they put athletes in a bad position with this.

“I would be happy if they gave me a fight there but I don’t think so,” Chimaev continued.

Chimaev talks potential welterweight title fight against Islam MakhachevDespite having missed weight by a substantial amount the last time he attempted to make 171lbs, Chimaev has revealed that he is considering moving back down to welterweight following UFC 319.

And with that, the Chechen has spoken about a potential clash against pound-for-pound number two, Islam Makhachev, who is fighting Jack Della Maddalena for the title next.