Trump Paid UFC Fighters in His Stablecoin Despite Probe Over UAE Ties

On June 14, President Trump’s crypto venture World Liberty Financial paid $250,000 in USD1 stablecoin bonuses to UFC fighters on the South Lawn of the White House. The event looked like a sports sponsorship, but the company behind the stablecoin carries a story that goes well beyond prize money.

Trump co-founded World Liberty Financial in 2024. The company’s USD1 stablecoin, a dollar-pegged token with reserves in US Treasuries and cash equivalents, has grown to a market cap of more than $5 billion since its March 2025 launch and now runs across Ethereum, BNB Chain, Tron, and Solana.

What Happened at UFC Freedom 250

World Liberty Financial served as the presenting sponsor of UFC Freedom 250, with the South Lawn as the venue. WLFI contributed $250,000 in USD1 to the Performance of the Night bonus pool, pushing those payouts to $425,000 per winner.

Crypto.com separately backed Fight of the Night, bringing those bonuses to $400,000 each. Combined, 14 fighters competed for roughly $1.65 million in bonuses, a record for a UFC card, and the Performance of the Night winners collected theirs in USD1 on the South Lawn of the White House.

The UAE Connection Behind USD1

The White House showcase arrived while Congress was already scrutinizing WLFI’s ownership structure. A UAE firm linked to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser and brother of the UAE president, acquired a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial for a reported $500 million.

A separate Tahnoon-linked firm then used USD1 to settle a $2 billion investment in Binance. The House launched a formal probe into potential conflicts of interest and national security risks, focused on what it means for a foreign state official to own nearly half of a sitting US president’s crypto company, and for that company’s stablecoin to now sit at a $5 billion market cap and rising.

On Saturday, UFC fighters collected their winnings in USD1 at the White House. The question Congress has formally committed to answering is who else profits when those payments settle.