Dana White Reveals Major Fight He Wanted for UFC White House Card as New TIME Cover Released

UFC President Dana White said in an interview with Time Magazine's Sean Gregory that he wanted UFC women's strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern to defend her belt against Zhang Weili at UFC Freedom 250. However, he said the UFC "couldn't get it done."

"No women are fighting at the White House," Gregory wrote. "White says he wanted to set a title bout between Zhang Weili of China and Mackenzie Dern, the American-­Brazilian fighter. A Chinese athlete would increase the international audience of the card, which also includes fighters from ­Brazil, France, and Canada. But according to White, Zhang is taking time off from fighting. 'We did try to make a women's fight,' says White. 'We couldn't get it done.' (A representative for Zhang did not respond to requests for comment.)"

UFC Freedom 250 is taking place on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, June 14. The card features seven fights headlined by two championship bouts: Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane are fighting for the heavyweight interim title and Ilia Topuria is defending his lightweight belt vs. Justin Gaethje.

Dern vs. Zhang could have been a great addition to the card. Dern, who is 16-3 lifetime in MMA, won the vacant UFC women's strawweight championship last October against Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision. She is on a three-match win streak.

Zhang, a two-time UFC women's strawweight champion, has a lifetime record of 26-4 (11 knockouts, eight submissions). She successfully defended her title three times in her second reign before vacating the title (since won by Dern), moving to the women's flyweight division and challenging Valentina Shevchenko for her championship belt. Zhang lost via unanimous decision in Nov. 2025 at UFC 322.

Dern vs. Zhang certainly appears to be a viable option down the road. In the meantime, the UFC has a busy few months ahead featuring the White House event plus Conor McGregor's return on July 11 at UFC 329.