The Ultimate Fighting Championship held its first event on White House grounds on June 14, a seven-fight card called UFC Freedom 250 staged on the South Lawn as part of President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, according to The Wall Street Journal. The event, paid for by the UFC and sponsors, carried a reported cost of $60 million per a prior court filing, and drew criticism from opponents who said it blurred lines between political and commercial interests, the Journal reported.
Trump appeared alongside UFC CEO Dana White, entering the bespoke 4,300-seat stadium with a fighter-style walk, the Journal reported. The “President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band played a rendition of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” to open the proceedings. The event was briefly delayed by concerns about weather, but neither storms nor an anticipated swarm of gnats — which White had publicly worried about — materialized.
The production featured a 92-foot-tall stage structure nicknamed “The Claw,” which the Journal reported drew criticism from aesthetic commentators. Trump suggested he might make the structure permanent.
The crowd included cabinet members, White House allies, and uniformed military guests on the upper level, the Journal reported. Attendees included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, FBI Director Kash Patel, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, film executive David Ellison, sports and entertainment figure Ari Emmanuel, NFL player Maxx Crosby, New York Knicks owner Jim Dolan, and former heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, who emerged from the White House wearing a hat reading “DONALD TRUMP FOR PRIME MINISTER,” according to the Journal.
Seven fights took place, with winners including Penn State wrestling legend Bo Nickal, pink-haired fighter Sean O’Malley, and Josh Hokit, who defeated Trump favorite Derrick Lewis, the Journal reported. Mauricio Ruffy proposed to his girlfriend after his win; she indicated acceptance by giving a thumbs-up, according to the Journal. The main event, which ended close to 1 a.m., was a lightweight upset in which 37-year-old Justin Gaethje bloodied Ilia Topuria and celebrated by draping himself in an American flag.
The event was sponsored by Bud Light, Polymarket, Crypto.com, Dodge RAM trucks, and Trump’s social media platform Truth Social, which was promoted by ring announcer Bruce Buffer, the Journal reported. The Journal noted that White called the event “a huge brand play.”
The relationship between Trump and the UFC dates back to the sport’s early days, when Trump provided venues in Atlantic City during what the Journal described as the sport’s “lean, gray-market days,” when it was criticized as “human cockfighting.” In recent years the administration has deepened ties: FBI Director Kash Patel has deployed UFC talent to train agents, and the State Department announced an overseas sports diplomacy initiative with the UFC.