World Liberty Financial, the Trump family-backed crypto venture, funded a $250,000 fighter bonus pool at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday, distributing the awards in its USD1 stablecoin on the South Lawn of the White House.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced the arrangement on June 13: WLFI signed on as an official partner of the event and serves as presenting sponsor of the Performance of the Night bonuses. The awards are paid in USD1, World Liberty Financial’s U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, and are separate from a $1 million CRO bonus pool funded by Crypto.com for Fight of the Night winners. World Liberty Financial announced the sponsorship on June 10 via its official X account.

The Bonus Structure

UFC Freedom 250, an outdoor mixed martial arts event held on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., featured two parallel bonus pools. Crypto.com sponsored a $1 million CRO pool for the Fight of the Night award, described by UFC CEO Dana White as the biggest bonus in the promotion’s history. World Liberty Financial contributed a separate $250,000 for Performance of the Night, distributed in USD1 rather than cash. According to post-event reports, Performance of the Night payouts reached $425,000 per fighter.

Zach Witkoff, co-founder of World Liberty Financial, framed the arrangement in settlement terms. “A victory in Washington should mean money in your pocket immediately, not when the bank opens,” he said. “USD1 makes U.S. dollars more accessible and faster than ever before.”

WLFI branding appeared inside the Octagon and across the event broadcast. The card streamed on Paramount+ to a global audience.

USD1 Context

USD1 is a U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by World Liberty Financial and backed by U.S. Treasuries and cash equivalents, with custody handled by BitGo. It carries a circulating supply of roughly 4.4 billion tokens and a market cap of approximately $4.4 billion, per CoinGecko. The stablecoin trades on Ethereum, Solana, BNB Chain, Aptos, and Mantle.

World Liberty Financial was co-founded in 2024 by Donald Trump and his sons alongside Steve and Zach Witkoff. Trump holds the title of “Chief Crypto Advocate.” The Defiant has previously covered WLFI’s legal disputes with Justin Sun, including a defamation lawsuit and Sun’s counter-suit over frozen WLFI tokens.

Political Backdrop

UFC Freedom 250 was staged to mark President Trump’s 80th birthday and the United States’ 250th anniversary. Hosting a UFC event on White House grounds is unprecedented for the promotion.

Crypto.com served as the primary event presenter alongside RAM Trucks. UFC CEO Dana White announced the expanded bonus structure at a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial ahead of the event, describing the Performance of the Night pool as an additional incentive stacked on top of the Crypto.com Fight of the Night award.

The UFC has taken on an increasing number of cryptocurrency sponsors in the past two years. UFC Freedom 250 adds a presidential-family stablecoin to that roster, deployed on live television on White House grounds.