WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) - 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 spectacle, often featuring a highly choreographed walk-in and ringside seats.
SOUTH LAWN CAGE MATCH
Now Trump is bringing the fighting to the White House. The South Lawn has been outfitted with an octagon-shaped cage and hulking metal arena structure called "the Claw" by White.
Trump suggested holding such an event while ringside with White at a fight days after his 2024 election win, Time magazine reported.
The seven bouts on June 14 will feature eight Americans and six others from four countries, all men. The main event will feature lightweight champion Ilia Topuria of Georgia defending his title belt against American challenger Justin Gaethje. The pair will enter the arena from the Oval Office, White told the magazine. Weigh-ins will be held at the Lincoln Memorial.
Two Washington-area residents filed a lawsuit on June 6 asking a U.S. judge in Washington to halt the event, claiming it violates National Park Service rules barring special events such as sports at such monuments, and that construction of the large arena structure requires congressional authorization.
The White House called the case an “obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory lawsuit.”
THE CROWD
Trump has touted the fights as the "hardest ticket" to come by of his presidency.
Trump, his family and senior government officials will sit around the ring, and approximately 4,000 seats are being installed on the lawn for invited guests. The White House deferred questions about the guest list to UFC, which did not immediately respond.
A fourth of the tickets are reserved for active military members. Troops must meet the military's physical standards and wear their short-sleeve dress uniforms to attend, the Washington Post reported.
White has invited numerous celebrities, including Adam Sandler, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Tom Brady, according to Time.
The UFC expects about 85,000 fans to gather outside the White House perimeter to watch on big screens.
THE BILL AND THE BUSINESS
The White House has said the UFC is paying for the event. UFC parent company TKO Group Holdings expects to spend $60 million on production and fighter payouts, said company president Mark Shapiro, according to Sports Business Journal. Shapiro and White have said the cost is worth the publicity.
Sponsors include Crypto.com, a cryptocurrency company that in August 2025 announced a strategic partnership with Trump Media, the company that runs the president's social media platform, Truth Social.
The event will be broadcast by Paramount media company, which began a $7.7 billion deal with UFC in February.
Paramount's mega-deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for $110 billion is undergoing regulatory review by Trump's administration.
In May, Trump's financial disclosure form of thousands of recent stock trades showed a March 25 purchase between $15,001 and $50,000 in TKO Group Holdings while Trump promoted the White House event. The White House referred questions about the trades to the Trump Organization, the president's company.
A spokesperson for the Trump Organization said Trump’s investment holdings are managed by independent third-party financial institutions.
"Neither President Trump, his family, nor The Trump Organization has any role in selecting, directing, approving, influencing or soliciting specific investments," the spokesperson said in a statement.
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