The South Lawn of the White House will transform into an octagonal cage Sunday evening for seven Ultimate Fighting Championship (U.F.C.) bouts, marking a dramatic departure from the traditional events usually held on the grounds. The mixed martial arts (MMA) fights are set to coincide with President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and Flag Day.
The event, titled UFC Freedom 250, is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern time and will be exclusively streamed on Paramount+, the streaming platform owned by media company Paramount. The UFC’s chief executive, Dana White, ruled out broadcasting the event on CBS, which offers broader reach. White also revealed that fighters Ilia Topuria of Georgia and Justin Gaethje of the United States will compete for the lightweight title after making their entrance from the Oval Office. The card also includes a heavyweight interim title fight between Alex Pereira of Brazil and Ciryl Gane of France. Other competitors hail from the United States, Canada, and Brazil, with Derrick Lewis, a heavyweight requested by the president, added to the lineup.
This unprecedented use of the White House grounds stems from a longstanding friendship between Trump and White. After becoming UFC president in 2001, White struggled to help the organization gain legitimacy due to the sport’s violent reputation, once condemned by Senator John McCain as “human cockfighting.” Trump, then a real estate developer, allowed the UFC to hold two events at his Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, a move White credits with helping stabilize the league.
The friendship has endured through Trump’s presidency and beyond. White has publicly supported Trump at multiple Republican National Conventions and facilitated interviews with prominent media figures during the 2024 campaign. Shortly after Trump’s 2024 election victory, White recalled, the president proposed staging a fight at the White House. The idea quickly progressed, with White House officials initiating formal planning and Ivanka Trump assigned to oversee the logistics.
Sunday’s event will accommodate approximately 4,300 spectators on the South Lawn, which has been reconfigured into a tiered amphitheater with a 92-foot-high roof structure and advanced lighting system. The UFC said it would cover the costs of restoring the lawn after the event. Nearby, the Ellipse park will host a watch party expected to draw over 70,000 attendees. Organizers have also prepared for weather contingencies, including possible delays due to thunderstorms.
TKO Group Holdings president Mark Shapiro, overseeing the UFC and World Wrestling Entertainment, indicated the event’s production budget exceeds $60 million, nearly triple the cost of recent comparable productions, emphasizing the value of the event’s visibility and branding potential.
The event has drawn criticism from several political figures, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who argue that it distracts from pressing national concerns such as the war in Iran and rising gas prices. Legal challenges to halt the fight were rejected by a judge earlier this week. White dismissed the objections, describing the event as a celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary through a sport with global reach but American roots, separate from partisan politics.