UFC White House card genesis revealed by Gracie disciple

The historic UFC White House card originated from a story about Teddy Roosevelt told at a Miami jiu-jitsu academy, according to Pedro Valente Jr., who revealed details of the event's conception to Sherdog.

Valente, whose family runs Valente Brothers Jiu-Jitsu and trains several Trump family members, said he shared the tale of Roosevelt organizing a 1904 White House match between American champion Joe Grant and judo master Yoshitsugu Yamashita during a conversation with Jared and Ivanka Kushner. After watching the smaller Yamashita submit Grant repeatedly, Roosevelt wrote his son Kermit urging Americans to learn the Japanese art. "Ivanka was impressed by this story, which happened 120 years ago; she's brilliant," Valente told the outlet.

How Trump learned about the concept

Ivanka relayed the anecdote to President Donald J. Trump, who then contacted UFC president Dana White, Valente said. The result was UFC at the White House: Freedom 250, making Valente the only person to attend both that event and the original UFC 1 in Denver in 1993. "It was a unique emotion to see where this sport has come," he said, recalling Rorion Gracie's tribute to his father Helio at the first UFC.

The Valente brothers are regarded as custodians of Helio Gracie's legacy, emphasizing self-defense over sport jiu-jitsu and maintaining a museum dedicated to the master in their academy basement. Their students now include the children of Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen, who married the youngest Valente brother, Joaquim, in December 2025.

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• Sherdog — BJJ icon shares details of how UFC White House card was conceptualized