The Ultimate Fighting Championship will stage a first-of-its-kind event on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, building a caged octagon on the grounds of the presidential residence for a card headlined by a lightweight title unification bout.
Billed as UFC Freedom 250, the event marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and falls on Flag Day and President Trump's 80th birthday. The main event pits lightweight champion Ilia Topuria against interim champion Justin Gaethje in a five-round unification fight. In the co-main event, Alex Pereira faces Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title, with Pereira seeking to become a three-division champion. The main card streams on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET.
UFC chief executive Dana White, a longtime Trump ally, has promoted the event as a historic moment for the sport. Organizers built a 92-foot lighting structure called "The Claw" over the South Lawn, and UFC is covering the event's cost, estimated at more than $60 million in a court filing. Ceremonial weigh-ins were held at the Lincoln Memorial, and a news conference took place there ahead of the fights.
About 4,000 people were invited to attend in person on the South Lawn, most of them members of the military, according to White. Organizers said roughly 85,000 free tickets were made available for a watch event at the nearby Ellipse, and the fights were expected to draw a large crowd to the area around the White House.
The event drew a legal challenge. The Public Integrity Project sued to stop it, arguing that staging a commercial fight on the grounds amounted to an improper use of public property. The Trump administration called the lawsuit baseless. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta declined to block the event, ruling that the plaintiffs had not adequately shown the harm that would result from letting it proceed.
The event is part of a series of activities the administration has promoted around the country's 250th anniversary, which culminates on July 4, 2026. Initial reports had suggested a July 4 date for the fight before it was moved to June for logistical reasons. It will be UFC's third event in Washington and its first in the city since 2019.
This is a developing story.
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