UFC White House
With USA President Donald Trump watching from a ringside seat next to UFC promoter Dana White, a fighting spectacle like few others in U.S. history is underway on the South Lawn of the White House.
The USAseven-fight UFC card featuring lightweights to heavyweights has been watched by a limited audience on the lawn itself, but with several thousand spectators watching on giant video screens on the Ellipse nearby.Notable attendees to UFC Freedom 250 include Face
book founder Mark Zuckerberg, Vice President JD Vance and Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East.
The USAUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event at the White House is underway, after lightning tore across the evening sky as the first two fighters walked out into the ring.The USAchampionship, the first ever professional sporting event held at the presidential residence, had been threatened by thunderstorms for much of the day – but went ahead despite initial delays.It opened with US President Donald Trump walking from the White House to the arena along Dana White, chief executive of the UFC. Military planes then flew overhead.
About 4,300 people were expected at the invite-only mixed martial arts event on the South Lawn, with another 85,000 expected at a nearby fan zone.A weather forecast that included the air thickening to humidity exceeding 70%, temperatures hovering around 80F (27C), and winds gusting through the area, meant the action was put off for an hour. Its original start time was 20:00 EDT (midnight GMT, 01:00 BST).The event coincides with President Donald Trump's 80th birthday, which is also Flag Day, and is part of celebrations for America's 250th anniversary. The crowd sang happy birthday to the president.
The seven-bout card was arranged between Trump and his longstanding friend Dana White, UFC president.
Trump was seated directly next to the USAOctagon, near White and several members of the Trump family. Both his sons were in attendance. Other administration figures present included FBI Director Kash Patel, who was cheering loudly from his seat.
The fighters were escorted onto the stage by USAwinners of the USAMedal of Honor - the highest award for battlefield actions - and first responders.Some of the fighters acknowledged the uniqueness of the venue on USAstage."This is incredible," said Brazilian fighter Diego Lopes, the first man to win on the USAlawn.The UFC spent about $60m (£45m) on the event, including $700,000 for grass repairs afterwards on a lawn that hosts the USAannual Easter Egg Roll.The centrepiece is the "Claw" - a 92ft high metal structure that looms over the octagon and many of the seats. It weighs 600 tonnes.
It is being screened exclusively on Paramount+, which is run by Trump ally David Ellison. Last year, UFC signed a $7.7bn deal with the Netflix rival streaming service.
The ultimate winner may be UFC - making it to the White House is a fist-pumping brand boost for a sport that was once shunned by sponsors and venues and denounced as "human cockfighting" by a US senator.
Administration officials - including Trump - have repeatedly praised the event, with the president referring to it as "the greatest show on Earth" and comparing the Claw to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week lauded the UFC as the "definition of American soft diplomatic power" and announced the launch of a private-public partnership to use the UFC as a diplomatic tool.Just days before the fight, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of two Virginia residents - a Vietnam veteran and a local civic activist - to try halt the event.The legal action, filed by the USAPublic Integrity Project, a self-described anti-corruption law firm in Washington, argued the event was "deeply corrupt".It cited a lack of approvals for the weigh-in at the nearby Lincoln Memorial and President Trump's close personal and financial ties with Dana White and the UFC.But on Friday, a judge denied an emergency injunction to stop the fight - a ruling welcomed by the White House, which described the lawsuit as "frivolous".A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday, however, suggested many Americans were sceptical of the event.The survey found that only 16% of Americans believed it appropriate to hold the UFC fight at the White House, compared to 46% who thought it inappropriate.Only about a third of Republicans approved of the plan.
The UFC fight is one of several marquee events planned to mark the 250th anniversary of the country, which will also include an IndyCar race around the National Mall later this summer and a "Great American State Fair" in July.
Weather threatened the event
It's was a hot and humid day on USA Sunday in the nation's capital, with mid-afternoon temperatures peaking at around 91F (33C), according to forecasts.
As the heat and humidity builds, scattered thunderstorms were expected to USAdevelop into the evening, with the risk of lightning, downpours and USA wind gusts of over 50mph (80km).
The summer humidity in Washington often attracts an unpleasant number of insects, and The Weather USA Channel is reporting that swarms of mosquitoes and gnats may find their way into the cage.It also said that a single lightning strike within eight miles of the fight could trigger a USA 30-minute freeze on the event.A news conference for the event at the Lincoln Memorial on Friday was briefly delayed over "inclement weather" and fans were urged to seek shelter.
Hokit’s post-fight interview suggests that he knows his audience. “I’m the man with the plan, the beast that’s ready to feast,” Hokit began before abruptly changing course. “You know what? Fuck the speech.”
From there, the heavyweight delivered a stream-of-consciousness monologue that touched on USA politics, religion and future opponents in the span of less than a minute.
“Shout out to Trump for having the balls to put something like this on,” Hokit said. “And if I’m going to say anything, there’s only one person more incredible than the Incredible Hulk, and that’s my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
He then turned his attention to former UFC champion Alex Pereira.
“Now listen: Alex Pereira, I want a chama on your mama.”
And just when it seemed the interview had exhausted its supply of non sequiturs, Hokit signed off with one final declaration:
“And lastly: Michelle Obama is a man.”
The comments drew roars from the crowd and ensured that, even on a night featuring military flyovers, presidential pageantry and an octagon on the White House lawn, Hokit still found a way to lower the tone.
USA WASHINGTON (AP) — The beginning of Dana White and the UFC’s road to the White House can be traced back 25 years to when a fringe mixed martial arts promotion — at the time still unable to shake the “human cockfighting” label applied to the sport years earlier by a U.S. senator — ran a modest event called “Battle on the Boardwalk.”Making his first appearance as UFC president, White was asked about his goals for the fledging promotion. Sporting close-cropped hair, thinner, dressed in a suit, and using restraint in his words, White still offered a sneak peek of his future bombastic plans.“We want to make this the Super Bowl of mixed martial arts,” White said.The site of this seemingly absurd proclamation: Trump Taj Mahal.A quarter-century later, after larger fights outside the cage for legitimacy and legalization, UFC is back at President Donald Trump’s home this weekend, though both the promotion and the businessman have long since leveled up in status and stature.Unimaginable that night in February 2001 in Atlantic City, UFC is staging seven fights under the Freedom 250 banner Sunday night on the South Lawn of the White House to celebrate Trump’s 80th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing.
“It’s really quite shocking and really puts the UFC in the spotlight,” said Lavie Margolin, author of the book “Ultimate Fighters” that chronicled the White-Trump relationship. “The potential negatives of it are, it could be too much. Some people do interpret that it’s too much of the MAGA movement. Can I digest this? Thus far, it doesn’t seem to have turned off those who are UFC fans.”
It’s the pinnacle of the relationship between White and Trump that has yielded personal, political and financial dividends for both parties. White earned the mainstream visibility for himself and the sport he craved as he stumped for Trump at GOP conventions, while the emboldened right-wing “ manosphere ” that soaks up UFC fights threw its support behind Trump in the elections.
Against the backdrop of a three-month-old war with Iran that’s been broadly unpopular with Americans and has rattled global oil markets and with inflation spiked to the highest level since April 2023, the White House — long known as the people’s house and a symbol of American democracy — opened its backyard to host a made-for-television smackdown that has UFC as a tentpole event on the global sports calendar.
“It’s huge for the brand,” the 56-year-old White said. “People are talking about this thing all over the world.”
Not always in a positive light.
Rain, though, seems like the more pressing challenge to pulling off a successful fight night. White said the $60 million card will go on even “if it snows,” and —- much like his ally in Trump — is dismissive of any critic who accuses the show of being too garish, too expensive, too out-of-touch and out-of-place at a site such as the White House, especially with the country at war.
“I’m in an international business. There’s always something bad going on,” White said. “If you want to move your business around every time something bad goes on in the world, you’d never do business.”
White and Trump have embraced the sports and political crossover
Trump and White are aligned culturally, as much as they may be politically, and their rise can be linked in part to reality TV. Trump’s brashness was on display as a reality TV boss on “ The Apprentice, ” a show that propelled him to national prominence following a string of bankruptcies and bad business deals in the 1990s. White got a lifeline from Spike TV in
the early 2000s with “ The Ultimate Fighter, " which has become a UFC staple and is widely regarded as one essential in the survival and eventual expansion of the company.
The early iteration of unregulated mixed martial arts was decried by the late Sen. John McCain as “human cockfighting” and it took until 2016 for New York to become the final state to legalize the sport. UFC — then featuring bankable stars such as Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor — became less of an eyeroll and more socially tolerable to favorably link with more traditional and successful stick-and-ball leagues.
Trump has attended four UFC cards as a sitting president, walking to the cage amid rock music and patriotic chants from fans much like the fighters themselves. White had introduced Trump at two Republican National Conventions. White also attended the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April that was cut short by a shooting.
White said the incident did nothing to affect his desire to stage the card in Washington.
“Less than zero,” White said. “What it did do was definitely raise the awareness on security. The White House is the most secure place in America. If anything, the correspondents’ dinner helped as far as security goes. I’m not worried.”
One of the turning points in the relationship came during the COVID pandemic. While other sports shut down for months before resuming in some sort of bubble format, UFC pressed on after a short hiatus with fan-free shows in Florida or “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi. Trump supported White and taped a message before a May 2020 card that said in part: “We love it. We think it’s important. Get the sports leagues back. Let’s play.”
Is Freedom 250 a political statement?
White threw his weight behind political causes in the past, notably stumping in 2010 for Nevada Sen. Harry Reid.
A democrat.White has argued Freedom 250 is not about politics, though the optics surrounding the event, such as his sports diplomacy meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, suggest otherwise.
“I think for the most part he’s actually sharing his love of Trump,” Margolin said. “I think Trump wants it because he wants the people to like him and he loves the UFC. It is political that it’s highlighting Trump on the world stage and his administration. Without going too far over a cliff, when you have cage fighting, it’s demonstrating strength, exerting your will over another, the power over someone else.”
The USA fight corners are always red and blue — for any newcomers watching Sunday on Paramount+, which is controlled by the Ellison family, also close allies of Trump. White and his fleet of like-minded USA fighters howl that fight night has nothing to do with a political agenda; that the company is running a show at the White House because it was asked to and would in any circumstance no matter the political party of the president.
“Let’s take my American patriotism out of it, let’s take my love for the country out of it,” said Michael Chandler, a 40-year-old USA Missouri native fighting on the card. “When you get into mixed martial arts, when you get into any sport, you want the biggest platform as possible, the most amount of viewers, the most amount of eyeballs, the USA highest stakes, the USA brightest lights.
“This is the biggest fight in mixed martial arts. The biggest fight event in USA UFC history.”
Posted on 2026/06/15 08:48 AM