UFC Pays Fighters in Trump Crypto at White House
The Ultimate Fighting Championship will compensate fighters with stablecoins issued by World Liberty Financial, a Trump family cryptocurrency venture, at a UFC event scheduled for the White House lawn on June 14, Trump's birthday. World Liberty Financial, co-founded by Donald Trump and his sons alongside the Witkoff family in 2024, is now listed as an official sponsor and presenting partner of a $250,000 performance bonus pool for the competition. Trump's financial disclosure forms list his holdings in World Liberty Financial at over $50 million, and Reuters reported this month that Trump family crypto ventures have generated billions in paper gains.
The stablecoin payments, called USD1, are pegged to the US dollar and are separate from a governance token the company previously sold. World Liberty Financial has faced legal disputes, including litigation with crypto investor Justin Sun over allegedly frozen tokens, and is currently seeking a banking license from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The company's involvement in the UFC event raises significant transparency concerns, as World Liberty only announced its sponsorship status on June 10, the UFC announced separate cryptocurrency bonuses on June 11, and only on Friday evening disclosed that World Liberty would be issuing the fighter payments in USD1.
A White House spokesman denied any conflict of interest, stating Trump's assets are held in a trust managed by his children and dismissing concerns as "fabricated" by "Fake News." However, cryptocurrency expert Todd Phillips told the Guardian that announcing fighter payments in USD1 functions as advertising for the Trump-backed stablecoin while maintaining the appearance of legitimate compensation. The arrangement directly links the Trump family's financial interests to a high-profile sporting event being promoted on government property, blending presidential endorsement with commercial cryptocurrency promotion.
World Liberty Financial has positioned itself as a major financial venture under the Trump administration, with Trump previously listed publicly as the company's "Chief Crypto Advocate." The use of USD1 at a federally-hosted event appears designed to legitimize the stablecoin and accelerate its broader adoption in the financial sector, leveraging the White House platform and the UFC's visibility to promote a family business product.
(Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/14/white-house-ufc-fighters-crypto)