The UFC announced this week that fighters competing at its White House-hosted birthday event will receive their performance bonuses not in U.S. dollars but in stablecoins issued by World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency company operated by the Trump family.
World Liberty Financial is a private business venture. Its stablecoin is not a federally backed currency. The fighters, whose bonus amounts were not specified in the announcement, will be compensated in a digital asset whose issuer has a direct financial relationship with the sitting president's family.
The event itself is scheduled on White House grounds — the same lawn where the octagon goes up — meaning the venue, the promotion, and the payment instrument all converge at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The UFC did not disclose in its announcement what exchange rate would apply, whether bonuses would be convertible at issuance, or what secondary-market liquidity fighters should expect from a stablecoin tied to a family business rather than a reserve currency.
World Liberty Financial launched in 2024. Its stablecoin product has been a subject of congressional scrutiny in the ongoing debate over federal crypto regulation.
The fighters were not quoted on their preferences.