Brandon Moreno has made it clear that fighting on the UFC’s planned White House card is not on his agenda.
The former UFC flyweight champion, who headlines UFC Mexico this weekend in Mexico City against Lone’er Kavanagh, dismissed the idea outright during Wednesday’s media day.
When asked whether he had considered requesting a spot on the June 14 White House event, Brandon Moreno didn’t hesitate with his response.
“Brother, I want you to tell me why I would want to be there?” Moreno said.
After a reporter suggested the event would be “very special,” Moreno doubled down on his stance.
“For what? For you?” Moreno replied. “I’m not interested. Thank you very much.”
The upcoming UFC White House card has generated massive buzz across the MMA world. The event is scheduled for June 14 as part of celebrations tied to America’s 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump’s birthday.
Several high-profile fighters have already expressed interest in competing on the historic card, including Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, Sean O’Malley, Colby Covington, Michael Chandler, and Sean Strickland.
Even international champions like Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria have shown interest in appearing on the card.
While he didn’t provide a detailed explanation, fans quickly speculated that political tensions surrounding immigration policies may have influenced his position.
Instead of looking ahead to Washington, Brandon Moreno remains locked in on business at home. The first-ever Mexican-born UFC champion returns to action in the main event of UFC Mexico after a turbulent run over the past year. Following a split-decision loss to Brandon Royval and dropping his title to Alexandre Pantoja, Moreno stepped away briefly from competition in March 2024.
He returned later that year with momentum-building wins over Amir Albazi and Steve Erceg before suffering the first stoppage loss of his career in a title eliminator against Tatsuro Taira.
Originally scheduled to face Asu Almabayev, Moreno now meets Kavanagh after the late replacement reshuffled the matchup.
While many fighters chase the spotlight of the White House event, Brandon Moreno is choosing a different path, one centered on competition, legacy, and performing in front of his home crowd.
His blunt response left little room for interpretation.“I want you to tell me why I would want to fight there?” Moreno said. “For what? No. I’m not interested.”
For Brandon Moreno, the focus remains simple: win fights, rebuild momentum, and return to championship contention, regardless of where the UFC stages its biggest shows.
