UFC fights set for White House lawn as Trump celebrates 80th birthday

The structure, known as "The Claw," for the upcoming UFC fight that U.S. President Donald Trump will host as part of the 250th anniversary of the United States on the South Lawn of the White House. Photo by SAUL LOEB /AFP via Getty Images

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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.

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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.

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The event, framed by a nearly 100-foot-tall “Claw” arena built to hold its seven cage matches, has already drawn criticism. A lawsuit filed by the Public Integrity Project called it a “volcano of corruption.”

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The White House said UFC is covering the entire cost of the event and has handled all the sponsorship discussions.

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The spectacle was Trump’s idea, according to UFC President Dana White, a longtime ally of the president, who has long enjoyed the league’s fights. The UFC’s young, male fan base was a key demographic backing Trump’s 2024 election victory. His administration has embraced the company, with the State Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation signing partnership deals.

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Still, 51 per cent of Americans surveyed in a Yougov poll released June 5 said they disapproved of the White House fight, while only 27 per cent approved.

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The Octagon and the Fan Zone on the Ellipse ahead of a planned UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Photo by Al Drago /Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg

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UFC spent over US$60 million to stage Sunday’s fight, and more than seven federal agencies “have allocated significant resources and manpower” to putting it on, according to filings in the court case, which sought unsuccessfully to stop the event.

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While White has said it will be a money-loser for UFC, another executive told Time magazine it would be “the greatest earned marketing tool of all time.”

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In addition to the caged “Octagon” where the fights will take place, the Claw holds 4,300 seats. As many as 120,000 more spectators are expected at the Ellipse nearby, where free tickets were distributed by lottery.

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Sponsors listed on the UFC Freedom 250 website include Crypto.com and Dodge’s Ram truck brand. During a news conference on Friday, White announced that the Trump-family venture World Liberty Financial was also providing an additional $250,000 bonus to the top two fighters at the event.

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The pregame events are being held in some of Washington’s most revered and historic sites.

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White and the fighters held the news conference at the Lincoln Memorial, where fighters insulted each other and predicted their own victories.  Other participants focused on the weight of fighting in front of the White House, like Michael Chandler, who said people “will see the best version of” him “on the White House lawn for America’s 250th birthday.”