Barely 24 hours after hosting cage fights on the South Lawn of the White House, Donald Trump sat across from Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit in France and raised a question that neatly fused his love of spectacle with international politics. With apparent sincerity, he wondered aloud whether a UFC heavyweight title might matter more to the French people than winning the FIFA World Cup.
The remark came during the leaders' bilateral meeting in Évian-les-Bains on 15 June 2026, as Trump lightly ribbed Macron over the UFC fight night he had hosted on the Sunday evening, UFC Freedom 250, to mark his 80th birthday, before departing for France. 'We had an evening last night with the fighters, and I was very happy,' Trump told Macron in front of reporters. 'I called last night, very late last night, to congratulate you, because in the heavyweight division, the French fighter won. I don't know, is that maybe more important than the World Cup? To some people, it might be.'
