UFC Paid White House Fighters Bonuses In World Liberty Financial USD1 Stablecoin

UFC Freedom 250, held on the south lawn of the White House on June 14, paid fighter performance bonuses in USD1, a U.S.-dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by World Liberty Financial, with World Liberty confirming that UFC would pay up to $250,000 in bonuses using USD1.

“Trump-linked stablecoin used for bonus payouts at White House UFC contest UFC Freedom 250 paid fighter bonuses in USD1, the stablecoin issued by the Trump-linked crypto venture World Liberty Financial, at a contest held at the White House”

CoinDesk

The Guardian reported that UFC announced on Friday it would pay bonuses in cryptocurrency issued by the Trump family business World Liberty Financial at the heavily publicized White House event on Sunday, with the competition scheduled for 14 June, Donald Trump’s birthday.

CoinDesk

CoinDesk said the bonuses were paid out in USD1 to fighters across seven matches, and it tied the promotion to earlier controversy including a borrowing episode involving Dolomite and litigation with Justin Sun.

Fortune described the broader setup as UFC winners receiving USD1 rather than U.S. dollars, noting that USD1 is “a type of synthetic dollar known as a stablecoin” run by World Liberty Financial, and it said the arrangement created an ethics scenario that could be treated as a crime.

Critics framed the White House-linked payout as self-dealing, with Jaelin O’Halloran of the Democratic National Committee telling Cointelegraph, “There seems to be no limit to Donald Trump’s self-dealing,” and adding, “Trump never misses an opportunity to use the power of the presidency to make himself and his family even richer.”

The White House disputed any conflict, with Davis Ingle telling Cointelegraph that “there are no conflicts of interest,” and saying Trump’s assets “are in a trust managed by his children.”

CoinGape

Fortune quoted Richard Painter, a former chief White House ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration, warning that if a Treasury secretary had a financial interest in World Liberty and participated in an official matter with a knowing economic impact, that Treasury secretary “very likely would commit a felony,” while noting that the president and vice president are exempt under 18 U.S.C. § 208.

The Guardian also quoted Todd Phillips of the Klaros Group saying, “Paying the fighters in the USD1 stablecoin would have the same economic function as writing them a check but announcing to the world they are doing it in USD1 sounds like they are adverting to the world that USD1 is out there and that it is connected to the UFC and the White House.”

Beyond the event itself, the sources tied USD1’s use at UFC Freedom 250 to the stablecoin’s market and regulatory trajectory, including CoinGape’s claim that USD1’s market cap increased by more than 1% to $4.41 billion and that trading volume increased by 30% over the past 24 hours.

“World Liberty Financial's USD1 has traded below $1 for most of the past month”

Cointelegraph

CoinDesk said USD1’s circulating supply has grown to about $4.6 billion as World Liberty Financial seeks a federal banking license, and it described the company’s application for a banking license from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Fortune added that World Liberty Financial was founded in 2024 by members of Trump’s family and close business associates and that Trump’s most recent financial disclosure released on Saturday shows he has made more than $57.3 million from sales of World Liberty’s governance token.

TradingView reported that the UFC Freedom 250 event was “strongly criticized by many in Congress for its reported $60 million price tag,” and it said World Liberty has an application pending with the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national trust charter while also facing lawsuit activity involving Justin Sun and World Liberty countersuing.