World Liberty Financial has committed $250,000 in USD1 stablecoin bonuses for UFC Freedom 250, as its dollar-pegged token’s circulating supply has reached about $4.4 billion and the project continues to face regulatory and political scrutiny.
- World Liberty Financial will fund $250,000 in USD1 bonuses for UFC Freedom 250 fighters at the White House event.
- USD1 enters the UFC spotlight as World Liberty pursues a U.S. trust bank charter and federal oversight for its stablecoin operations.
- The sponsorship arrives amid continued scrutiny of World Liberty’s political ties, foreign investments, and recent compliance actions involving USD1.
According to Sporting News, the Trump-backed decentralized finance project will sponsor the Performance of the Night awards at UFC Freedom 250, scheduled for Sunday on the South Lawn of the White House, with bonus payments distributed in its USD1 stablecoin.
The announcement came from UFC President and CEO Dana White during a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial. Under the arrangement, World Liberty Financial will contribute an additional $250,000 to the event’s bonus pool through USD1.
“We’re proud to celebrate a historic night for UFC and the United States,” said Zach Witkoff, co-founder and CEO of World Liberty Financial.
“A victory in Washington should mean money in your pocket immediately, not when the bank opens. USD1 makes U.S. dollars more accessible and faster than ever before.”
While the stablecoin promotion puts USD1 in front of a major sports audience, the contribution represents a small portion of the event’s overall finances. According to Yahoo Sports, TKO Group Holdings COO Mark Shapiro said Freedom 250 carries a production budget exceeding $60 million, with sponsorship revenue expected to cover roughly half of that amount.
Crypto.com and Ram Trucks serve as the event’s presenting sponsors, while World Liberty’s involvement is limited to the Performance of the Night bonus category. A separate $1 million incentive pool will be paid in Crypto.com’s CRO token.
UFC Freedom 250 features a lightweight title unification fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, alongside a heavyweight matchup between former two-division champion Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane. Event organizers have allocated $1.65 million in total bonuses, including two Fight of the Night awards worth $400,000 each and two Performance of the Night awards worth $425,000 each.
USD1 expands while regulatory scrutiny continues
At the same time, World Liberty is working to place its stablecoin business under federal oversight. Earlier this year, affiliated entity World Liberty Trust Company submitted a de novo application to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency seeking approval to operate a national trust bank focused on stablecoin issuance, custody, and conversion.
The charter application has already become a point of contention in Washington. During a June 5 House Financial Services Committee hearing, lawmakers questioned OCC Comptroller Jonathan Gould about the review process and whether the company’s ties to President Donald Trump should influence regulators’ decision-making.
Gould told lawmakers the application would be evaluated under existing banking laws and ethics requirements. Democratic lawmakers, including Representative Gregory Meeks, raised concerns over World Liberty’s ownership structure and political connections.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, HTX delisted the stablecoin after alleging that World Liberty had frozen certain on-chain addresses linked to the exchange following sanctions-related compliance reviews. HTX suspended trading and conversion services for USD1 pairs and later announced plans to convert eligible balances into USDT at a 1:1 ratio.
World Liberty did not publicly confirm the specific freeze but said it maintains risk-based sanctions compliance controls. The dispute unfolded shortly after U.K. authorities sanctioned Huobi Global S.A., an entity HTX said is separate from its operating exchange.
Questions about World Liberty’s business relationships have also reached Congress. Reuters reported this month that the Trump family has earned at least $2.3 billion in profits from four major crypto ventures since the start of Trump’s second term, with World Liberty contributing the largest share. The report also said more than one million outside investors collectively recorded losses of roughly the same amount.
Congressional scrutiny has intensified around several USD1-related transactions, including a reported $500 million investment in World Liberty by an entity linked to UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the use of USD1 to settle a $2 billion Binance investment by Abu Dhabi-based MGX. Lawmakers have cited those arrangements while examining potential conflict-of-interest and national security concerns.
The White House has stated that President Trump’s assets are held in a trust managed by his children and has maintained that no conflict of interest exists.
