Trump hosts UFC Freedom 250 on White House lawn to mark his 80th birthday

Thousands gathered at the White House on the president’s 80th birthday to watch seven UFC fights play out

Seven UFC fights played out on the South Lawn to celebrate 250 years of the US, and the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump

Seven UFC fights played out on the South Lawn to celebrate 250 years of the US, and the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump

The venue on the South Lawn for UFC Freedom 250 was built, approved, lit, filmed, defended, watched, and enjoyed as part of a celebration of freedom. President Donald Trump’s chosen object to represent that celebration was a cage.

President Trump installed a giant claw, the "Octagon" fighting ring, on the South Lawn of the White House to host a UFC fight night in celebration of his 80th birthday, which was criticized for being a crass, cheap, and commercial celebration of violence.

Critics accuse president of trying to enrich himself with fight night on White House lawn.

Related:White House eclipsed by giant UFC fight cage. Here’s what to knowThe massive arch over the cage will dwarf the White House, with the event set to take place June 14 The White House is building an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighting cage on the South Lawn, with plans to host an event there next month as part of the nation’s 250th birthday. Here’s what to know. What is the structure? Crews are erecting a standard UFC cage, which is 30 feet (about 9.1 metres) in diametre, directly in front of the White House entrance. U.S. President Donald Trump has referred to the temporary structure as “a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House.” READ MORE UFC fights set for White House lawn as Trump celebrates 80th birthdayFifty-one per cent of Americans surveyed in a Yougov poll said they disapproved of the event, while only 27 per cent approved Donald Trump will head to France for what will likely be contentious discussions with world leaders this week, but first he’ll celebrate his 80th birthday by watching a spot that’s more brutal and bloody than politics. Trump is bringing TKO Group Holdings Inc.’s Ultimate Fighting Championship to the South Lawn of the White House Sunday evening. The event helps kick off Trump’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the US, complete with a commemorative gold coin bearing his likeness, a huge fair on the National Mall and, in August, an IndyCar race through the streets of Washington, DC. READ MORE

The White House hosted the Freedom 250 UFC fight Sunday night for a once-in-a-lifetime VIP presidential birthday party. The event brought 4,300 VIPs to the South Lawn of the White House and 85,000 UFC fans and D.C. politicos right next door at Ellipse Park for the free “Fan Fest.” Even though “The Claw” was roughly...

For his 80th birthday, the president got exactly what he wanted: a bloody battle on the South Lawn of the People's House

President Donald Trump emerged from the Oval Office first, then fighters from around the globe followed straight into the fight cage, in part for the president's 80th birthday celebration.

President Trump hosted a series of "UFC Freedom 250" mixed martial arts fights at the White House to celebrate America's 250th anniversary on his 80th birthday. CBS News' Weijia Jiang reports on the event and turnout.

Despite a last-ditch legal bid to block the event, the White House spent the night as a marketing department for the private fighting companyA warm Sunday night on the South Lawn – with bright lights, fireworks, a fighter plane flyover, thousands of spectators, and the first major professional sporting event ever staged at the White House – produced many memorable scenes. One might linger more than most.Justin Gaethje, the American interim lightweight champion, stood alone in the Oval Office in his fight shorts, draped in an American flag, studying a framed Declaration of Independence before he turned to walk out to the cage. Continue reading...

To celebrate his eightieth birthday—and the nation’s two-hundred-and-fiftieth—President Trump invited the country to watch U.F.C. fighters beat one another up.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White arrived to attend mixed martial arts bouts at a specially built arena on the White House’s South Lawn on Sunday.

The South Lawn of the White House was converted into a full-scale UFS arena, complete with a massive steel superstructure, a professional fighting cage, and other facilities.

It was a spectacle, with a presidential birthday and an Iran peace deal as context and background. “UFC Freedom 250,” a primetime fight night that played out just steps from the White House on Sunday night, combined sports and the office of the president in a way never seen before. Reactions to the event fell sharply along partisan lines, but the event...

U.S. President Donald Trump hosted mixed martial arts fights on the White House lawn on Sunday, an unprecedented spectacle highlighting his willingness to blend the pageantry of his office with his brutal brand of politics and his family’s business interests. The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s seven bouts are the first professional sporting event hosted at the […]

The Ultimate Fighting Championship match kicked off Sunday on the grounds of the White House, with the mixed martial arts fight series taking place on the South Lawn under a full-scale UFC Octagon.

US President Donald Trump hosted mixed martial ​arts fights on the White House lawn on his 8àth birthday on Sunday, an unprecedented spectacle highlighting his willingness to blend the pageantry of his office with his brutal brand of politics and his family’s business interests.

US President Donald Trump marked his 80th birthday by hosting a UFC event on the White House grounds, drawing praise from supporters and criticism from opponents who accused him of turning the presidency into a political spectacle.

The White House lawn hosted a series of UFC fights as Trump celebrated his 80th birthday coinciding with the upcoming American independence's 250th anniversary 

President Trump celebrated his 80th birthday Sunday night with a UFC cage-fighting event on the south lawn of the White House.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump emerged from the Oval Office first, then fighters from around the globe followed straight into the fight cage, in part for the president’s 80th birthday celebration and to bring a sport long on the fringe of mainstream acceptance into a main event on the White House South Lawn. For a president who revels in winners, Trump had to enjoy crowning two champions on a big fight night staged closer to the Rose Garden than Madison Square Garden in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250. READ: Donald Trump turns 80, celebrates with UFC event on […]...Keep on reading: UFC: Gaethje TKOs Topuria, Gane stops Pereira as mayhem hits White House

Trump brings UFC to White House for 80th birthdayGaethje stuns unbeaten Topuria for lightweight titleJosh Hokit targets former First Lady after TKO winFor most of its 250-year history, the White House South Lawn has been reserved for state dinners, diplomatic ceremonies, Easter egg rolls, turkey pardons and carefully choreographed displays of presidential power.On Sunday night it hosted cage fights. Continue reading...

For most of its 250-year history, the White House South Lawn has been reserved for state dinners, diplomatic ceremonies, Easter egg rolls, turkey pardons and carefully choreographed displays of presidential power. Beneath a giant steel canopy known as the Claw, with military flyovers overhead and thousands of spectators spread across the South Lawn and nearby Ellipse, Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday and the forthcoming 250th anniversary of US independence by staging the first professional sporting event in White House history. The spectacle ended shortly after 1am on Monday with one of the bigger upsets in UFC history as Justin Gaethje rallied from several perilous moments to stop the previously unbeaten Ilia Topuria after four brutal rounds and claim the undisputed lightweight championship.

People attend UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. Photo: Reuters US President Donald Trump hosted mixed martial arts fights on the White House lawn on Sunday, an unprecedented spectacle highlighting his willingness to blend the pageantry of his office with his brutal brand of politics and his family’s business interests.

Donald Trump hosted a UFC event on the White House Lawn for his 80th birthday. Fighters from around the world joined the celebration, marking a unique moment for the sport.

For the second year in a row, President Donald Trump commemorated his birthday with a bizarre spectacle in Washington DC.After an inclement weather delay, Trump’s UFC extravaganza – which also marked America’s 250th birthday – kicked off on Sunday evening with a bout between two featherweight fighters who made their entrances from the White House. The opening underscored the strangeness of the gathering, which marked the rare use of the White House for a professional sports competition and for a function hosted by a private company. Trump has faced criticism for promoting such events at the White House and for backing an exhibition that’s expected to benefit numerous commercial interests, including the UFC and Paramount.Mauricio Ruffy waits in the White House before his fight with Michael Chandler (not pictured) in a lightweight bout of UFC Freedom 250 fights taking place on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday.Additionally, the fight has drawn scrutiny, given the emphasis Trump placed on it while grappling with other major issues, including a struggling economy and the effort to finalise a deal to end the US war on Iran.Just hours before the main card of “UFC Freedom 250” was set to begin, Trump said that an agreement with Iran was “now complete,” though it isn’t expected to be formally signed until Friday. According to a Reuters report, France also pushed back the G7 summit to allow Trump to attend the cage fight on the White House lawn. Last year, Trump held a military parade for his birthday, which featured tanks and rocket launchers rolling down the streets of the capital.Fans attend the UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest on The Ellipse ahead of the UFC Freedom 250 fight on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday.Sunday’s fight also included large displays, including the construction of a massive 92-foot, 600-ton fighting ring called “The Claw” that towered over the White House on the South Lawn.That venue, which was covered in flashing red, white and blue lights, sat roughly 4,000 guests on Sunday evening. Service members wearing colonial attire could also be seen lining the entrance from the White House to the “Octagon,” the trademark eight-sided cage that UFC fighters use. “The South Lawn has served as one of the most important and ceremonial spaces in American history,” a UFC commentator said as part of a streaming broadcast on Paramount+. “Now, the Octagon is part of that history.”The UFC "Claw" took over the White House's South Lawn. All told, there were seven mixed martial arts match-ups, including a face-off between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje for the lightweight title.Much of the audience was comprised of military service members and Trump allies, including Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has frequented past UFC matches. Trump was also seen watching the fight alongside members of his family, Vice President JD Vance and UFC President Dana White, a longtime supporter. The UFC exhibition has been nearly a year in the making and underscores Trump’s deep ties with the mixed martial arts company and its leadership. Trump first floated the idea in July 2025 during a kickoff for activities commemorating America’s 250th birthday. He’s also been friends with White, who has repeatedly backed his presidential runs and welcomed him ringside at past matches, for years. According to PBS, White also played a role in influencing podcaster Joe Rogan, who was once a UFC color commentator, to throw his backing behind Trump. More recently, Trump’s brokerage account purchased shares in TKO Holdings, UFC’s parent company, raising questions about whether he could personally see gains from holding the fight on the White House lawn. The Trump organization has said the president had no control over the transaction, and the White House has also denied any conflict of interest.Branding for various companies was omnipresent at the fight on Sunday, with logos adorning the venue itself and one bout sponsored by Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social. The staging of the cage match at the White House was also previously met with widespread opposition."The Claw" venue has been constructed specially for the UFC event. It recently drew a court challenge from the Public Integrity Project, which described the fight as “corrupt” and argued that the administration needed congressional approval for construction related to the UFC event. Last week, a judge ultimately ruled that the fight could proceed. According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, just 16% of Americans said it was appropriate for Trump to use the White House grounds for this event.

President Donald Trump, who turned 80 today, has spent this evening hosting an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on the South Lawn of the White House. 

UFC Freedom 250 drew criticism for its violent optics and use of public property to benefit a private enterprise

US President Donald Trump made a dramatic entrance alongside UFC CEO Dana White at the White House on Sunday, officially opening UFC Freedom 250 as he celebrated his 80th birthday. With the traditional presidential anthem, "Hail to the Chief," announcing his arrival, Trump walked onto the South Lawn accompanied by White, a longtime ally and one of the most influential figures in mixed martial arts.The crowd responded with chants of "USA, USA," adding to the atmosphere at what organizers billed as a landmark event for the UFC.An entrance from the Oval Office [ #UFCWhiteHouse | LIVE ON @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/cuyNFD5j1Y— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) June 15, 2026 The event marked a historic moment as the White House hosted UFC Freedom 250, bringing one of the world's biggest combat sports promotions to the presidential residence. The fight card was delayed by approximately an hour due to weather conditions. Several prominent political figures attended the showcase, including Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson.President Donald J. Trump arrives for HISTORY AT THE WHITE HOUSE, @UFC Freedom 250. pic.twitter.com/RgG5d3yhjJ— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 15, 2026 UFC Octagon Erected On White House South Lawn For Historic Cage Fighting Event As Donald Trump Hosts America's 250th Anniversary CelebrationThe action inside the Octagon began with a featherweight clash between Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia, the first bout of UFC Freedom 250. The fight took place beneath "The Claw," UFC's signature production structure that towers more than 90 feet (27 meters) above the arena. The four-sided steel framework is equipped with massive screens, lighting rigs, speakers and extensive wiring, allowing spectators throughout the venue to follow the action inside the cage.UFC Freedom 250 featured a seven-fight card comprising exclusively men's bouts, with the event organized to coincide with President Donald Trump's 80th birthday and the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence. The promotion branded the showcase as a celebration of both milestones, bringing mixed martial arts to the White House grounds in a first-of-its-kind event.

Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday by attending UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House alongside UFC president Dana White. The event, held as part of America's 250th anniversary celebrations, featured a purpose-built arena known as "The Claw," military flyovers, senior government officials and thousands of fans.

The UFC is hosting a fight series on the White House South Lawn Sunday night.

The event, framed by a nearly 100-foot-tall "Claw" arena, has already drawn criticism, with the Public Integrity Project calling it a "volcano of corruption."

The UFC fights are the first sporting event hosted at the White House in its history and are a part of the Trump administration's celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the U.S.

Donald Trump will host a UFC fight on the front lawn of the White House Sunday, an event the administration has been threatening to hold for months. The fight is meant to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States (which is in 20 days), but just happens to be held on Trump's own 80th birthday.

The South Lawn event is meant to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary and Trump’s own 80th birthday.

UFC takes over White House lawn for seven-fight cardThe stratospheric rise of the UFC’s Dana WhiteUFC to pay fighters in crypto from Trump companyReach out to Bryan on Bluesky or by emailBryan will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s Joseph Gedeon’s lookahead to tonight’s semiquincentennial cage-fighting spectacular. Continue reading...

"What’s more American than a $60 million claw on the White House lawn?"

Watch live as the White House hosts the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Freedom 250 event on Sunday (14 June), which also coincides with Donald Trump’s birthday.

Demonstrations took off in Washington and across US as Trump throws first private, for-profit sporting event ever held on White House groundsDozens of people stood across the entrance gates to the Ellipse, the park south of the White House, on Sunday afternoon, holding protest signs and chanting as the president prepared to host seven mixed martial arts fights on the lawn.Thousands of fight fans streamed past the protesters into the sprawling public viewing area that the Trump administration and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which is hosting the fights, erected steps from the White House. The cage fights, marketed as a celebration of the country’s “fighting spirit” ahead of its 250th anniversary, are being held on Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. Continue reading...

The UFC event’s structure, referred to as “The Claw,” and its location has been criticized by some as desecration of the historic grounds. The post Cage fighting, anyone? Trump’s 80th birthday on the White House lawn. appeared first on MS NOW.

Here's a look at where Trump is located during this fight.

Donald Trump is celebrating his 80th birthday with a giant UFC event at the White House lawn.

Donald Trump is celebrating his 80th birthday with a giant UFC event at the White House lawn.

Donald Trump is celebrating his 80th birthday with a giant UFC event at the White House lawn.

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) – Donald Trump hosts a card of seven mixed martial arts fights to be held on Sunday inside a specially built arena on the White House’s South Lawn on his 80th birthday, a spectacle spotlighting his norm-defying style at a tense moment in his presidency. Seventeen months into his second term...

Thousands are expected at the mixed martial arts fight, which coincides with Trump's 80th birthday.

President Donald Trump marks turning 80 on Sunday with a birthday celebration that once would have seemed unfathomable: a cage-fighting show on the storied South Lawn of the White House.

US president hosts a Maga mixed martial arts spectacle inside a temporary Colosseum on his 80th birthday

President Donald Trump turned 80 on Sunday and was set to celebrate with one of the more surreal spectacles in both sports and the nation's capital: cage fighting on the White House lawn. We discuss it with our international affairs commentator Douglas Herbert.

Trump’s pal Dana White said the fight will go on ‘no matter what’

President Donald Trump turned 80 on Sunday and was set to celebrate with one of the more surreal spectacles both in sports and even in the nation's capital: cage fighting on the White House lawn.

President Donald Trump turns 80 on Sunday and celebrates with a unique event: cage fighting on the White House lawn

Donald Trump hosts a card of seven mixed martial arts fights to be held on Sunday inside a specially built arena on the White House's South Lawn on his 80th birthday, a spectacle spotlighting his norm-defying style at a tense moment in his presidency. We discuss it with Ellen Kountz, Dean of the Finance Department at INSEEC Business School.

Donald Trump hosts a card of seven mixed martial arts fights to be held on Sunday inside a specially built arena on the White House's South Lawn on his 80th birthday.

Trump marks 80th birthday with mixed martial arts fights to be held on Sunday inside a specially built arena on the White House’s South ‌Lawn

The UFC is hosting a fight series on the White House South Lawn Sunday night.

Strange things are afoot at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, giving rise to an obvious question: how did we get here?Rising from the South Lawn of the White House is a 92ft-tall skeletal structure known as “the Claw”. Beneath it sits an octagonal cage surrounded by sponsor logos, temporary grandstands and thousands of seats for a mixed martial arts card on Sunday night to celebrate Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and the Ultimate Fighting Championship brand.The event has prompted comparisons to Idiocracy, Mike Judge’s satire of a future US where politics, entertainment and corporate branding become indistinguishable. Others have gone further, dismissing it as a “kleptocratic spectacle”. Continue reading...

President Trump will celebrate his 80th birthday Sunday with a night of UFC fights on the South Lawn of the White House. It’s yet more proof that Trump is radically different from other presidents. And the spectacle carries risks as well as rewards, even as it plays into Trump’s love of showmanship and ardor for...

Seven cage fights will be held on the White House grounds in honor of the nation's upcoming 250th anniversary.

Donald Trump marks his 80th birthday with a controversial UFC cage fight on the White House lawn, raising eyebrows amid ongoing tensions with Iran.

Thousands are expected at the mixed martial arts fight, which coincides with Trump's 80th birthday, but thunderstorms risk threatening the outdoor event.

Trump will celebrate becoming an octogenarian as he hosts an extravagant UFC showcase on the White House South Lawn on Sunday night.

Trump will celebrate becoming an octogenarian as he hosts an extravagant UFC showcase on the White House South Lawn on Sunday night.

Trump will celebrate becoming an octogenarian as he hosts an extravagant UFC showcase on the White House South Lawn on Sunday night.

Donald Trump celebrates his 80th birthday in a typically forceful style on Sunday, as the oldest US president ever to take office holds a bloody cage match on the White House lawn. The unprecedented “UFC Freedom 250” event will see 14 Ultimate Fighting Championship stars beat each other to a pulp in a giant arena called The Claw. Costing US$60 million, it is linked to this year’s festivities for the 250th anniversary of US independence, but it also happens to fall on the day that Trump enters...

Donald Trump's next walkout will be his shortest one yet, from the Oval Office to the Octagon for the implausible spectacle on the South Lawn of the White House.

On Sunday afternoon, United States President Donald Trump will host a UFC event on the South Lawn of the White House on Trump’s 80th birthday, in celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. However, the event faces some pretty significant problems, including rain and bugs. As the event approaches, UFC President Dana White confirmed that they…

A massive UFC event is taking over the White House’s South Lawn. The event celebrates President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Fights are scheduled for Sunday night, with additional activities planned throughout the weekend.

The mixed martial arts show on Sunday night that is streaming on Paramount+ is timed for Trump’s 80th birthday and the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Stage is set for Trump’s birthday bash as the president’s DC-wide makeover includes massive MMA event on the south lawn

UFC Freedom 250 is set to take place on the White House lawn Sunday evening as part of a celebration for President Trump's 80th birthday. "CBS Saturday Morning" goes inside the setup.

Donald Trump is making a splash by hosting a UFC event at the White House, marking his 80th birthday and the nation's 250th anniversary

One by one, the burly mixed martial arts fighters made their entrance past the solemn, hulking marble statue of America's 16th president and jogged down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to roars from thousands of fans drawn to the unusual sporting weekend marking the nation's 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump's 80th birthday.

One by one, the burly mixed martial arts fighters made their entrance past the solemn, hulking marble statue of America's 16th president and jogged down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to roars from thousands of fans drawn to the unusual sporting weekend marking the nation's 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump's 80th birthday. The news conference Friday night featured the fighters who are preparing to face off Sunday in the Octagon built outside the White House. Tracy Philbeck and his son Levi drove from Charlotte, North Carolina, with a group of friends to support their favorite fighter, American Justin Gaethje, in the upcoming lightweight title bout against Georgian Ilia Topuria.

Ahead of Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 — and President Trump’s 80th birthday — the South Lawn of the White House got a 92-foot lighting rig, a fighting cage and an arena’s worth of sponsors. The post How Washington got ready for a UFC fight, in photos appeared first on MS NOW.

Show goes on for Trump’s 80th birthday event – featuring a 92ft ‘Claw’, thousands of seats and a fighting cage – despite ominous weather forecastsThere may be swarms of bugs, rain showers and thunderstorms, but this isn’t Exodus, or the apocalypse: the president of the United States will host the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) at the White House on Sunday, his 80th birthday.The iconic South Lawn – typically used by presidents to board Marine One on their way to summits, funerals and wars – has been blanketed by an octagon, ringed by thousands of seats in a mini coliseum, and dominated by a 92ft, 600-ton steel structure organizers have nicknamed “the Claw”, not unlike the alien tripods from the 2005 film War of the Worlds. Continue reading...

On Sunday, an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on the White House lawn will mark both President Trump's 80th birthday and Flag Day. White House correspondent Liz Landers explains how this moment for Trump and the UFC was decades in the making.

"Balance of Power" co-host Joe Mathieu gets a first-hand look at “The Claw,” the nearly 100-foot custom structure built for Sunday’s UFC fight on the South Lawn, marking America’s 250th birthday and President Trump’s 80th. The massive production is drawing scrutiny over the logistics of staging a combat sport at the White House — and Trump’s financial stake in UFC’s parent company. (Source: Bloomberg)

A federal judge has ruled the White House can host UFC matches on its South Lawn on Sunday, which marks President Trump's 80th birthday. CBS News political director Fin Gómez, along with political strategists Chuck Rocha and Leslie Shedd, join with analysis.

President Trump is hosting a UFC fight on the White House lawn on his birthday.

Stage is set for Trump’s birthday bash as the president’s DC-wide makeover includes massive MMA event on the south lawn

Washington, June 12: The South Lawn of the White House has hosted Presidents, foreign leaders, Easter egg rolls and state ceremonies. This weekend, it will host cage fighting as an octagon now stands on the grounds of the White House as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) prepares for an event unlike any in its history. Thousands of spectators are expected to attend, while millions more are likely to watch worldwide as the sport stages fights at one of the most recognisable addresses in the world.For longtime observers of both the White House and mixed martial arts, the moment represents an extraordinary collision of sports, politics and popular culture."It's unprecedented. There's never been anything like this," John Decker of Gray Television told IANS in an interview.Decker, who has covered the White House for 30 years, said he could not recall a comparable event on the presidential grounds."I've covered the White House for 30 years. I can't think of any instance in which you've seen a professional sporting match happening on the south lawn of the White House," he said.The event is part of celebrations marking America's 250th anniversary and comes amid President Donald Trump's longstanding association with the UFC and its president, Dana White."The President's a big fan of UFC and the President's an investor in UFC," Decker said. "He's good friends with the founder of UFC, Dana White."The sight of a fighting cage outside the White House may appear unusual to many international audiences. Yet for followers of the UFC, it is being viewed as the culmination of a decades-long rise from sporting outlier to global entertainment powerhouse.Few journalists have witnessed that transformation more closely than Randy Harris, founder of Knockout Radio.Speaking to IANS, Harris recalled covering the UFC from its earliest days."I've covered the UFC longer than anyone in the world. I started covering the UFC at UFC one," he said.At the time, mixed martial arts struggled for legitimacy. The sport faced regulatory scrutiny, limited television exposure and financial uncertainty."We would sit and talk, where could the UFC go?" Harris said.Even the organisation's biggest supporters, he added, could not have imagined where that journey would lead."Dana would always say that it could be bigger than the NFL and most people here in America kinda laughed and chuckled," Harris said.UFC now stages events across multiple continents and features athletes from dozens of countries.Yet Harris believes the White House event surpasses anything the sport's pioneers envisioned."I don't think there's a single person, including Dana White and Donald Trump that could have ever thought that we'd be on the South Lawn for what's about to happen on Sunday," he said.Walking around the venue this week, reporters encountered a scene more commonly associated with a major championship event than a government complex. Rows of seating face the octagon. Massive lighting structures tower above the lawn. Broadcast equipment is positioned across the site.The contrast between the temporary arena and the White House itself is striking.For Harris, however, the symbolism matters more than the staging."Oh, absolutely. A hundred per cent," he said when asked whether the event represented a dream come true for longtime UFC supporters."The UFC almost went outta business."The promotion's early struggles are well documented. In its formative years, the organisation fought for survival as much as it fought for audience attention. Investors poured money into a sport many considered too controversial for mainstream acceptance.That history helps explain why Sunday's event carries unusual significance within the MMA community.'From Opponent To A Friend': Virat Kohli Posts Heartfelt Message After Kane Williamson Announces Retirement"It's gonna be a party for America and really for the world," Harris said."This is going to take a global company, even more global on Sunday."For a sport that once struggled to find a home, reaching the White House may be the clearest sign yet of how far it has come.Founded in 1993, the UFC evolved from a niche combat sports promotion into one of the world's largest sports entertainment properties. Its growth accelerated after Dana White and the Fertitta family acquired the company in 2001 and expanded its television, international and digital footprint.Trump's relationship with the UFC dates back to its early years, when some of its events were held at his properties. That relationship has endured as the promotion grew into a global business. This weekend's event places that partnership on its biggest stage yet — the lawn of the White House itself.(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and auto-generated from an agency feed.)

President Trump is set to host an unprecedented UFC cage fight on the White House lawn for his 80th birthday, sparking both excitement and controversy. Read More: https://punchng.com/trump-to-host-ufc-cage-fight-for-80th-birthday/

The giant arena dubbed ‘The Claw’ – which stands taller than the White House – will feature 14 UFC contestants on Sunday.

The giant arena dubbed “The Claw” – which stands taller than the White House – will feature 14 UFC contestants on Sunday.

More than $60 million has been spent building the temporary arena, which will host seven fights celebrating President Trump's birthday and America's 250th anniversary.

It’s the ultimate symbol of American politics under Donald Trump – a blood-soaked cage match on the lawn of the White House for the US president’s 80th birthday. A giant arena dubbed “The Claw” has been built on the famed South Lawn for Sunday’s tournament featuring 14 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contestants. Critics have panned the unprecedented US$60 million “UFC Freedom 250” event as tone-deaf at a time when Trump’s war in Iran has sent the cost of living soaring for ordinary...

US President Donald Trump will celebrate his 80th birthday on Sunday with a characteristically unique event: a $60 million UFC match will see bare-knuckle fighters battle it out in a mesh-framed cage on the White House's famed South Lawn. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the event as "a gift to the American people".

The White House has previewed the huge fighting arena known as "The Claw" that will host an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout on US President Donald Trump's 80th birthday.

The towering claw will be the site of an Ultimate Fighting Championship cage match on Sunday, which is President Trump’s 80th birthday.

Nothing quite like “the claw,” as it is called, has ever been constructed on the White House grounds: The giant overhang covers the ring for Sunday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship event, occurring on Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and billed as one of the Freedom 250 events celebrating America’s sesquecentennial. Early on Thursday morning, dozens of reporters […]

President Trump, who is celebrating his 80th birthday the same evening, told The Post the fight will be an invigorating expo for Americans, who can watch the event on CBS or Paramount Plus.

The event is set to begin at 8 pm on June 14

A massive UFC event is set to take over the White House's South Lawn

Federal agencies and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) are spending at least $60 million to pull off the White House cage fight set to take place on Sunday, which happens to be President Trump’s birthday. The funds have gone toward building an octagon fighting arena on the White House South Lawn, purchasing and delivering food...

The UFC matches to be held on the lawn of the White House on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday are sure to be a spectacle unseen in the history of the storied complex

On Sunday, the same day as President Trump’s 80th birthday, the White House will host UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn. The Onion takes a look at the key facts and figures behind the unprecedented mixed martial arts event. $1.2 million Cost of restoring Thomas Jefferson’s original Octagon 5 Drinks before shirtless Pete Hegseth […] The post The White House UFC Fight By The Numbers appeared first on The Onion.

The UFC event on the White House's South Lawn is the president's birthday gift to himself. Sources expect it to be a lobbying extravaganza.

The president’s $60 million, made-for-TV birthday brawl isn’t drawing any prominent names.The UFC is hosting its America 250 celebration on Sunday, June 14—Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. It will be the first ever cage match on the White House lawn, but even the organization’s biggest celebrity fans seem to be backing out of the historic event.So far, the guest list includes first lady Melania Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and his new wife Bettina Trump, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, and Eric and Lara Trump, according to insiders that spoke with the New York Post.Ringside seats for nonmilitary personnel are exclusively invite-only. The president has reportedly invited 1,000 guests to the event, while UFC CEO Dana White and TKO CEO Ari Emanuel have been allocated 200 tickets each. But A-listers are reportedly skipping this card. Many of White’s famous invitees, such as Adam Sandler, Jared Leto, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Mario Lopez, are reportedly dodging the visual, reported Vanity Fair. White also invited Guy Ritchie, Tom Brady, and Jason Statham, though their representatives have not responded to inquiries about their possible attendance.Part of that could boil down to cost. While watching the fight from screens at the White House Ellipse will be free to some 85,000 members of the viewing public, ringside attendance is exclusive to military and VIP tickets. And invitees might not want to shell out for it.That latter category has been bundled into “ultra-premium” packages that cost as much as $1.5 million. The deal includes access to multiple UFC events, reserved seating on the White House lawn, VIP receptions, and floor tickets to UFC 329, which pits Conor McGregor against Max Holloway for the second time on July 11.Luck does not seem to be on the president’s side for his multimillion-dollar birthday extravaganza, either. The whole kit and caboodle could get rained out: Washington is expecting showers Sunday evening.

Polls indicate that President Donald Trump is doing a lot that most Americans don’t support: The war with Iran; the arbitrary tariffs; the retribution campaign against his perceived enemies; the 250-foot Triumphal Arch; the $1.776 billion fund intended to reward Trump loyalists. (Even Republicans don’t like that one!) There’s so much that it’s hard to know what’s important. In the middle of a war against Iran, does it really matter if Trump’s vanity leads him to appropriate top billing at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts? Still, it’s hard to predict the consequences of acts that seem trivial at the time. Consider the Ultimate Fighting Championship cage fights that Trump is sponsoring on the White House lawn on June 14 as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebration. June 14 also happens to be Trump’s 80th birthday. It’s not clear why any sport needs to be part of the celebration of our country’s nativity, but if we’re going to stage a sporting event on the White House lawn, why UFC? Trump, of course, is pals with Dana White, the president and

Teddy Roosevelt boxed. Richard Nixon bowled.Dwight D. Eisenhower put in a putting green. George H.W. Bush added a horseshoe pit. Herbert Hoover played a game named for himself to get more exercise, while George W. Bush threw open the space for youth T-ball.The White House and its storied South Lawn are no strangers to sporting events. But they’ve never seen anything like the UFC bout President Donald Trump is hosting to celebrate his 80th birthday on Sunday or the eight-sided, wire-mesh cage complete with an open overhead dome featuring large screens that are surrounded by thousands of arena seats.Sometimes called America’s backyard, the South Lawn was until now known for low-contact sports and joyful events geared toward children or bipartisanship, like the annual Easter Egg Roll or the congressional picnic.The same space being used for blood sport, feting a president who relishes it and playing out in a hulking structure featuring a complicated overhead lighting scheme known as The Claw, illustrates yet another of the White House norms that Trump is gleefully laying to rest — or, in UFC parlance, forcing to tap out.That the president has begun suggesting that he could make the cage-fighting venue a permanent South Lawn fixture further underscores just how far from T-ball the White House has come.“Sports has been central to presidents. I don’t know that it’s been quite the spectacle that it is with the Trump administration,” said Michael Patrick Cullinane, senior historian at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. Teddy Roosevelt pioneered sports at the White House Many early presidents were talented athletes before taking office. Abraham Lincoln and William Howard Taft were celebrated young wrestlers. John Quincy Adams was fit enough to take daily naked swims in the Potomac River while in office.But Teddy Roosevelt was the first to make sports a large part of White House life, installing a tennis court on the lawn. His wife, Edith, was concerned about his workload, and the grass court outside his office was meant to force more relaxation.Cullinane, who is the author of “Theodore Roosevelt and the Tennis Cabinet” and is a history professor at Dickinson State University, said Roosevelt loved tennis and, though he didn’t play well, he did so “long and vigorously.”Roosevelt would take the court daily at 3 p.m., rain or shine, for seemingly endless six-game sets against top aides. He also boxed, holding bouts in the White House that were far more intimate affairs than Sunday’s UFC fight. While sparring with his military aide Col. Daniel T. Moore in 1905, Roosevelt detached the retina of his left eye.During a recent New York Post interview, Trump was asked about Roosevelt and replied that he “had a lot of energy, loved the outdoors.” He indicated that he knew about Roosevelt’s having boxed at the White House but didn’t comment on how the UFC event might compare. Other presidents brought more sports with them Hoover used the lawn to play a combination of tennis and volleyball involving 6-pound (2.7-kilogram) medicine balls that White House physician Adm. Joel T. Boone was credited with inventing to improve his fitness. The game eventually became known as Hoover-ball.His successor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, had an indoor pool built for polio therapy. Harry S. Truman ordered an old horseshoe pit removed from the White House grounds, but the first President Bush reinstalled it in 1989.His son hosted T-ball on the South Lawn beginning in 2001 and presided over 20 games, with his last featuring Little Leaguers who were the children of active-duty military personnel.Eisenhower used the putting green outside the Oval Office frequently enough to leave golf-spike marks on the floors inside. Barack Obama had White House tennis facilities repainted as a basketball court, though they were converted back as part of a pavilion improvement project overseen by first lady Melania Trump during her husband’s opening term. Presidents often mixed sports and politics Playing, or at least being avid fans of, sports has long given presidents ways to connect to everyday voters while also projecting vitality.John F. Kennedy largely hid his skill as a golfer because he was afraid of bad political optics. But he promoted footage of himself and his family playing touch football and frolicking in the surf, seeking to convey his youth and energy.Nixon had a single-lane bowling alley built in the White House yet spoke much more frequently in public about his love of football, trying to appeal to sports fans in ways that his advisers initially feared might alienate some. Obama made an event of filling out NCAA brackets with his predicted tournament winner each year.Trump has attended a series of major sporting events, including Monday’s trip to the NBA finals in New York. The UFC coming to him, however, is unlike anything the presidency has seen.“There’s definitely precedence for athletic events, but this is a combination of athletic event and a celebrity event,” said Tevi Troy, a presidential historian and senior fellow at the Reagan Institute.Troy noted that, as the bevy of musical acts pulling out of the Trump-led celebration to mark America’s 250th birthday illustrates, “The entertainment world is just hostile to Republicans and Trump. So he goes to find his celebrities where he can.”Trump has been a UFC fan for decades. His 2024 presidential campaign showcased his friendship with the league’s chief, Dana White, and Trump also attended bouts around the country, hoping to energize voters not usually interested in politics.UFC’s cage matches mirror Trump’s bare-knuckled approach to politics and sometimes can overlap with his policy initiatives. In making the case for his immigration crackdown, Trump once told White to consider setting up a league in which migrants could fight one another — with the winner then squaring off against the UFC champion. He suggested the “migrant guy might win.”Cullinane noted that the “UFC is dominated by men and this idea of masculinity,” which means “whenever you aim for a certain demographic, you are almost naturally politicizing the sport.” ‘Maybe we’ll never take it down’ The South Lawn’s octagon was built in a matter of weeks and designed to be temporary, unlikely to survive prolonged exposure to the elements. But that hasn’t stopped Trump from musing about leaving it up permanently.The president has likened his birthday party to an international celebration of yore and The Claw to an architectural marvel in France. He noted on TikTok that Paris’ Eiffel Tower was built to be a temporary structure for the 1889 World’s Fair but then, “They said, ‘You know we sort of like it,'” and eventually, “They never took it down.”“You know, we’re building something in front of the White House that’s quite attractive to a lot of people,” Trump said before adding, “And I’m looking at it, and maybe we’ll never, ever take it down.”Troy said that, 20 years from now, the spectacle that is the UFC on the White House lawn may feel normal as accepted traditions on celebrity and sports shift. If so, Trump’s tradition-busting will have played a role.“Trump, I think, is more willing than other presidents to be asked that question: ‘Why aren’t you doing it the way the previous presidents did?'” Troy said. “Breaking the precedent doesn’t bother him.” Associated Press writer Darelene Superville contributed to this report. —Will Weissert, Associated Press

President Donald Trump is a close friend of UFC boss Dana White, who is putting on fights to celebrate 250 years of the United States

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump is bringing his affinity for mixed martial arts to the White House, staging a night of cage fighting on the South Lawn on June 14 — his 80th birthday — as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. The seven-bout Ultimate Fighting Championship event, dubbed "UFC Freedom 250," will blend sport with political spectacle, highlighting Trump's long-standing ties to a league whose leaders and many of its fans have backed him for more than a decade. Why UFC? Trump's alliance with UFC dates to the early 2000s, when he agreed to host events at his since-bankrupt Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as other venues spurned the sport. Trump "gave us our start when nobody would talk to us,” UFC CEO Dana White told Fox News in 2018. White became a close ally, using the sport's popularity — particularly with younger male fans — to support Trump's campaigns dating back to his first run in 2016. In 2019, Trump became the first sitting president to attend a UFC match. His appearances have become part of the spectac

The event, coinciding with his 80th birthday, is billed as part of the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence

The UFC’s CEO says there’s “nothing transactional” about his friendship with Donald Trump, but it’s the only reason an MMA spectacle will be held on the South Lawn on the president’s birthday.

President Donald Trump is a close friend of UFC boss Dana White, who is putting on fights to celebrate 250 years of the United States

The UFC ring has been decked out in patriotic colors ahead of the UFC Freedom 250

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing its high-octane show to Washington, D.C., next month, staging a prime-time fight at the White House as part of the country’s “America 250” celebrations and commemorating President Trump’s 80th birthday. Preparations have been underway for weeks ahead of the widely buzzed-about combat sports spectacle, which the president is expected to attend. It...

Donald Trump invited Dana White to stage a mixed-martial arts extravaganza on the South Lawn to celebrate America's 250th — and the president's 80th

Construction has begun on a UFC octagon outside the White House ahead of a fight night linked to Donald Trump’s 80th birthday celebrations and the 250th anniversary of the United States.

A hulking metal arena is rising on the White House’s South Lawn as U.S. President Donald Trump pursues a spate of construction projects, and is set to host a night of cage fighting to mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. The mixed martial arts arena is being assembled on a stretch of the grounds […]

Construction of a UFC cage at the White House has begun ahead of June’s event to mark the 250th anniversary of American Independence, which also falls on Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.

The UFC bout at the White House marks the 250th anniversary of the US and President Donald Trump's 80th birthday.

Construction has begun on a giant, temporary fighting ring on the White House grounds. President Donald Trump announced earlier this month that construction would soon start on an open-air mixed martial arts venue for a UFC fight, which is ostensibly to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. on July 4, but conveniently will be held on his 80th birthday on June 14. Cranes and crisscrossing arches taller than the White House now stand on the South Lawn with an American flag pattern covering the lower half of the temporary structure. The venue is expected to seat about 5,000 people. The event gives Trump ally and UFC CEO Dana White, who endorsed his reelection in 2024, a one-of-a-kind spotlight. It also gives Trump a helpful photo op. The fight night burnishes his tough-guy image and projects a sense of strength at a time when he’s never been more politically weak. Trump’s disapproval rating has hit an all-time high as the young male voters who helped get him back into office—not to mention who might be the most interested in watching an MMA fight—are abandoning him in droves. A Harvard/IOP poll found just 28% of men ages 18 to 29 support Trump after 49% voted for him in the last election. The price of bread and other staples is up, but the circus (or rather, the gladiator fight) is coming to the White House and will be streamed on Paramount+. Whether the fight on the CBS streaming platform can win back young male voters ahead of the November midterm elections remains to be seen, but the Harvard/IOP poll found young people are most concerned with issues like rising prices, housing costs, healthcare, climate, crime, and Iran—none of which can be solved in an MMA ring. Either way, Trump’s hosted fights before, like a boxing match at his Atlantic City casino before it went bankrupt. The UFC shared renderings of an octagonal stage under the crisscrossing arches, in which an American flag (notably missing some stars) is featured. The venue is built by Tait, a Pennsylvania-based live events production company, according to CBS affiliate WHP-TV in Harrisburg. Tait’s work spans theater, malls, and media, like The New York Times DealBook Summit, but it works often in live music. The company is behind staging for major artists such as Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour, Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, and U2’s concert residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. For the UFC’s White, an outdoor stage isn’t his preferred kind of venue. “There’s two things I hate: I hate stadiums, and I hate—even worse than a stadium—is fighting outside,” he told NPR. “There’s just so many different variables you have to deal with,” like weather and bugs. D.C. in mid-June is often humid and muggy. When asked whether the sport represents the president’s view of America and the world, White said, “Trump is the toughest, most resilient guy I’ve ever met,” adding during the interview that the sport “speaks to young men” and “we supported Trump.” It’s not the first time an aging U.S. president has worked with CBS or its parent company to turn their birthday into a soft coverage opportunity before a crucial election. Ahead of his 66th birthday in 1956, amid his reelection bid, then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower faced mounting questions over his age and health. Needless to say, he got a huge boost from a celebrity-studded televised birthday tribute on CBS dubbed “Ike Day.” Trump is 14 years older than Eisenhower was then, and more deeply unpopular than Eisenhower ever was, but he’s trying his hand at an even bigger stunt. According to White, the president’s eldest daughter, Ivanka, is running point for the project. But whereas Eisenhower threw a party, Donald Trump is holding a fight. If anything, he’s on brand.

Construction is underway on the South Lawn of the White House in preparation for UFC Freedom 250.

More than 4000 people are set to attend what the US president promises will be “a one-of-a-kind UFC” in the heart of Washington DC.

More than 4000 people are set to attend what the US president promises will be “a one-of-a-kind UFC” in the heart of Washington DC.

More than 4000 people are set to attend what the US president promises will be “a one-of-a-kind UFC” in the heart of Washington DC.

It has played host to countless world leaders and moments in history. Now US President Donald Trump has built a huge cage-fighting arena on the White House’s South Lawn. Cranes lifted giant metal arches into place Tuesday for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event on Trump’s 80th birthday on June 14. “We’re having a big fight. It’s never going to happen again, never happened before,” Trump said at an Oval Office event earlier this month, surrounded by four of the fighters taking...

WASHINGTON — It has played host to countless world leaders and moments in history. Now US President Donald Trump has built a huge cage-fighting arena on the White House’s South Lawn. Cranes lifted giant metal arches into place Tuesday for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event on Trump’s 80th birthday on June 14, AFP reporters saw. “We’re having a big fight. It’s never going to happen again, never happened before,” Trump said at an Oval Office event earlier this month, surrounded by four of the fighters taking part. READ: UFC fight at the White House? Dana White says it’s happening […]...Keep on reading: UFC cage being built at White House for Trump's 80th birthday

Construction is underway at the White House for a UFC cage match on President Trump's birthday in June. Political strategists Kendra Barkoff Lamy and Terry Sullivan join to discuss.

The venue is expected to host a mixed martial arts fight on 14 June to also mark the US’s 250th anniversarySign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailConstruction is under way on the White House lawn for an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) arena that will host a cage match next month to mark the US’s 250th anniversary and Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.The mixed martial arts fight is planned for 14 June. Continue reading...

Construction on the UFC Octagon is underway on the White House South Lawn ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned fight this summer.

Construction began this week on a temporary octagon on the White House grounds in preparation to host several UFC fights on Flag Day, which is also President Trump’s 80th birthday. Photos taken by The Associated Press showed workers building pieces of the red and blue UFC fighting ring for the “UFC Freedom 250” event on...

A massive stage is being built on the White House South Lawn for UFC fighters to compete in six bouts on June 14

History will be made in Washington DC today, when Donald Trump marks his birthday with cage fighting on the White House lawn.

Donald Trump has unveiled a custom championship belt and White House arena plans for UFC Freedom 250, scheduled for June 14 as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations. UFC stars Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje, Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane joined Trump at the Oval Office ahead of the historic event, which will feature fights staged on the White House South Lawn.