UFC has a sanctioning dispute with the DC Combat Sports Commission over the White House card scheduled in June. 

Per a report from the Washington Post, the UFC has signaled that it does not need a permit from the Commission, which would normally cost $100, since the event is being staged on federal land. 

The Commission has warned the UFC that the contests could be disregarded on the official records of the competitors, and there has not been any communication regarding the card between the promotion and the sanctioning body. 

“We don’t know anything,” DC Combat Sports Commission Chairman Andrew Huff is quoted in the report. “Every promoter in the District of Columbia should be, and is, held to the same standard, whether you’re putting on a small wrestling show or a major event. I’m concerned about precedent. What happens when someone puts on a boxing match in Malcolm X Park? They don’t need to get us involved?”

Huff said that he was excited when Trump first spoke last summer about hosting the event at the White House. But he was informed in February that UFC had made the decision to not work through the commission. And he said that the brush-off is a reminder of “federal overreach in terms of local affairs.”

New York State Athletic Chairman Nick Perry also believes it “does not send the right message” to have the UFC regulating its own event. “Whatever the land is, I would suspect that local law would be applicable,” he said. “Laws should apply across the board to everybody. Especially laws that govern things like boxing and games where there are certain standards that are expected to be maintained.”

The White House card, billed as UFC Freedom 250, will be headlined by Ilia Topuria against Justin Gaethje for the Lightweight Championship on June 14. Alex Pereira will also make his heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane with the Interim Heavyweight Championship on the line.

Restraint has not factored into the rivalry between CM Punk and Roman Reigns so far on the road to WrestleMania 42. Ever since Reigns won the Men’s Royal Rumble and chose to challenge for Punk’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship, the two haven’t held back, with the two making reference to things such as Punk’s statements about Reigns on Colt Cabana’s “Art of Wrestling” podcast a decade ago to Punk bringing up the death of Reigns’ father, Sika, two years ago.

But one report is suggesting that there was one subject that was too far to be brought up during Punk and Reigns’ most recent “WWE Raw” exchange. Bodyslam+ reports that Reigns’ line about Punk being old, leading to Punk decking Reigns with a right hand, was not originally supposed to happen. Instead, Reigns was supposed to get even darker than Punk’s reference to Reigns’ father by bringing up Larry, Punk and AJ Lee’s late dog.

A staple of Punk’s life since he and Lee first rescued him in 2015, Larry had become synonymous with Punk, who included him on his merchandise and attire, and even brought Larry with him to events. After a decline in health in 2025 that led to him requiring surgery, Larry passed away in December, with both Punk and Lee taking the death hard.

There was no indication given regarding the line about Larry being changed at Punk’s request, or if WWE decided to scrap the line for other reasons. At the moment, Reigns is scheduled to make three more “Raw” appearances in the lead up to WrestleMania, leaving open the possibility that Larry could still be incorporated into the storyline.

For the first time since 2013, Bayley and AJ Lee collided in the ring as the latter defended the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship on “WWE Raw” this week. Much like their first encounter, Lee emerged victorious. Coming out of this one, though, Bayley felt an extra special energy lingering in the air.

“Friendship aside…I’ve told the story many times and I promise I’m not over exaggerating. But if I never had the conversation with AJ back in 2013 where she told me to stay true to who I am, I don’t know if I would’ve made it this far,” Bayley wrote on Instagram. “I don’t even know if I would’ve made it past my first month in NXT. So, losing the match sucks. But sharing the ring again with someone who saw me for who I was, uplifted me, believed in me, and has supported me ever since, that was the magic. (I texted her earlier and said I didn’t want to send a novel. Because I was embarrassed and here I am.) THAT is the magic that’ll keep me fighting to find another road to WrestleMania. Because if I’m staying true to who I am, THEN I CAN’T STOPPPPPPPPPPPP.”

Alongside her heartfelt reflection post, Bayley attached a number of images of her latest in-ring battle with Lee, which ended with “The Role Model” tapping out to the Black Widow. Afterward, Bayley and Lee then embraced as a sign of respect and their long-standing friendship. With that in mind, Bayley’s post also included a demand that Lee never leave WWE so they can laugh while watching backstage monitors together at old ages.

Bayley earned the aforementioned title opportunity by outlasting five other women in a gauntlet match last week. Where she and Lee will each go from there has yet to be seen.

As WWE speeds down the “Road to WrestleMania,” “WWE Raw” remains consistent in terms of viewership, though the most recent episode (where numbers are available from Netflix) of the red brand failed to hit the three million viewers of the previous week. The March 9 edition of the show saw Finn Balor be ousted from Judgment Day, as well as World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk go face-to-face with The Usos following his comments about the late Sika the week before.

According to Wrestlenomics, with data from Netflix, the March 9 episode of “Raw” averaged 2.8 million global views through seven days, with five million hours of the show viewed throughout the week. The show ranked tenth for the week across the globe among English language Netflix shows. “Raw” ranked sixth domestically for the week. The show fell from the third position, which it held in the United States the previous week, and the sixth spot globally.

“Raw” has ranked in the top 10 on Netflix for the past few weeks. The last episode that did not rank was the January 26 show, with the January 12 and December 29 episodes also not making the chart for their respective weeks. Since February 2, “Raw” has average 2.8 million viewers, with the February 2 episode having the most global views with 3.1 million.

In addition to Punk and The Usos’ main event segment, and Judgment Day kicking out Balor for being “too soft,” the show also saw Bayley win a gauntlet match to earn the opportunity to challenge Women’s Intercontinental Champion AJ Lee. The opening of the show also saw a returning Seth Rollins and a group of masked men in hoodies be addressed by General Manager Adam Pearce, a segment that went viral due to the shuffling of the masked men in the ring.