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Security is high and several major roadways are shut down in the nation’s capital in anticipation of Sunday’s mixed martial arts cage match at the White House.
The event, called UFC Freedom 250, is part of a series of events marking America’s 250th anniversary, but it also falls on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
South Lawn transformation
The stage is set on the South Lawn. The massive arena features an eight-sided cage, steps from the Oval Office, with a towering, 90-foot arch (otherwise known as “The Claw”) towering above it all.
The main event is a seven-fight lineup on Sunday night, but events have been held throughout the weekend, including a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial on Friday and a ceremonial weigh-in on Saturday.
It will be the first live professional sporting event to take place on the White House grounds.
“It’s never going to happen again, never happened before, and it’s all of the best fighters,” Trump said while showing off renderings of the structure earlier this year.
Roughly 4,300 fans are expected to watch from the stands on the South Lawn, with another 65,000 expected at the Ellipse for a watch party, according to TKO Group Holdings Inc, UFC’s parent company. Many of those tickets were distributed through a free lottery, but attendees will also include military members and government personnel, as well as guests invited by the White House and TKO.
How to watch from home
Americans can tune in to the event, which begins at 8 p.m. ET, from home by streaming on Paramount+, which is run by Trump allies Larry and David Ellison.
The event’s website also lists several bars showing the event live on pay-per-view.
Conflict of interest concerns
The decision to grant Paramount+ exclusive streaming rights was among many concerns raised about the event in a lawsuit that tried but failed to stop the fight from proceeding. A federal judge ruled Friday that the plaintiffs likely didn’t have legal standing.
The lawsuit filed by the Public Integrity Project accused the Trump administration of exploiting sacred monuments to enrich the president and his friends. It pointed to extensive crypto advertisements and reports that UFC is selling sponsorship packages for up to $1.5 million per person. The company didn’t directly respond to questions about those packages but said no tickets to the event were sold. The White House said it was not involved in sponsorship discussions and broadly dismissed the lawsuit as baseless.
Critics also raised concerns about a financial disclosure from earlier this year, showing that the president invested up to $50,000 in TKO as he was actively promoting the event.
“It’s unusual to see a president investing in individual stocks at all. This is stunningly corrupt and unprecedented, certainly in modern presidential history,” said Donald Sherman, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics. “What the president has done is offered the UFC an unprecedented economic promotional opportunity by having them featured on the White House lawn.”
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children and denied that there is a conflict of interest.
“The Fake News’ continued attempts to fabricate conflicts of interest are irresponsible and reinforce the public’s distrust in what they read,” Ingle said.