The Ultimate organization has begun the final phase of assembling the arena that will host the unprecedented UFC Casa Branca this Sunday, June 14, 2026. The historic event will take place outdoors in the South Garden of the United States government headquarters, in Washington. With three days to go before the fighting, the first images of the structure began to be released and show the preparation of the public space to receive the octagon.
The temporary arena has bleachers installed around the octagon. At the top, workers are finishing a protective structure decorated with the colors of the American flag. Behind-the-scenes details, such as the exact arrangement of the chairs and the entrance corridor for the athletes to the ring, were previewed in video recordings shared by Spanish journalist Irati Prat, from the newspaper Marca, directly from the historic site.
Weather forecast gives warning but Dana White rules out postponement
As it was a show held entirely outdoors, the weather conditions in the American capital became a point of attention for the technical teams. Weather reports indicate a small chance of rain in Washington on the day of the event. Despite the risk, franchise president Dana White publicly assured that the official schedule will be maintained regardless of the weather.
The leader compared the situation to amateur street sports and stated that the organization is ready to deal with unforeseen events. White assured that the event will go ahead even if it rains or snows, and explained that, in the event of lightning, the production will interrupt the fighting momentarily to resume activities as soon as the danger passes, monitoring the weather maps days in advance.
Alex Poatan seeks interim belt on card with seven fights
The official UFC Casa Branca schedule will feature a total of seven clashes, highlighting two world title fights. Brazilian Alex Poatan will step up to the octagon to face Frenchman Ciryl Gane, in a duel that is worth the interim heavyweight belt. On the same night, current lightweight champion Ilia Topuria defends his crown against American Justin Gaethje.
Complete UFC Casa Branca schedule
The event starts at 9pm (Brasília time) this Sunday. Check below the list of all the fights scheduled for the night in Washington:
- Lightweight:Ilia Topuria x Justin Gaethje (belt fight)
- Heavyweight:Alex Poatan x Ciryl Gane (interim title fight)
- Bantamweight:Sean O’Malley x Aiemann Zahabi
- Heavyweight:Josh Hokit vs Derrick Lewis
- Lightweight:Maurício Ruffy x Michael Chandler
- Middleweight:Bo Nickal x Kyle Daukaus
- Featherweight:Diego Lopes x Steve Garcia
