On March 14, 2026, the UFC was set to build an Octagon on the South Lawn of the White House to celebrate 250 years of the United States and President Donald Trump's 80th birthday. Approximately 85,000 free tickets were to be distributed for fans to enter a nearby park, though access to the event was highly limited. Despite his past association with Trump and the UFC, Colby Covington was notably absent from the lineup for this event, which had been announced publicly. Covington, who previously attended the Oval Office in 2018 while wearing a MAGA hat to support Trump, expressed his disappointment in not receiving an invitation to represent the country during this significant occasion. In his interviews leading up to the event, he criticized the fight card for lacking well-known American fighters and labeled it as poorly organized. Covington voiced his frustrations further by saying the event felt disorganized, questioning the absence of high-ranking American fighters, and emphasizing his dissatisfaction with the card as a whole. Following this, he speculated about the UFC's motives in pairing him with the winner of an upcoming fight between Gilbert Burns and Mike Malott, suggesting that he felt sidelined. This revelation not only highlights Covington's feelings toward UFC's management strategies but also indicates broader discussions surrounding representation in national sporting events. Meanwhile, the visibility of both Covington's concerns and his relationship with Trump reflects ongoing dynamics between sports and politics in the U.S.