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Published : 13 Jun 2026, 10:14 AM
President Donald Trump is set to mark his 80th birthday with an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event on the White House South Lawn -- an occasion presidential historians say has no parallel in American history.
On Sunday, the UFC is scheduled to host seven bouts inside a cage on the South Lawn, with thousands of fans expected to attend, according to The New York Times.
The venue’s centrepiece is “the Claw”, a four-sided arched structure rising about 90ft, fitted with lights, speakers and screens, and draped in oversized American flags.
US News reported that preparations and planning for the event are expected to cost $60 million.
The weekend festivities, dubbed UFC Freedom 250, kicked off on Friday with a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial, followed by a fan fest on the Ellipse on Saturday featuring celebrity appearances, live music and a ceremonial weigh-in. The Zac Brown Band performed after the weigh-in, it added.
According to Reuters, the event has been framed as part of Trump's celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
Sunday's card will be hosted by UFC chief executive Dana White, a longtime Trump ally whose ties with the president date back to the early 2000s, when Trump agreed to host UFC bouts at his Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City.
A federal judge on Friday rejected a legal bid to block the fights.
Reuters said US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled against two Washington-area residents who argued the administration had exceeded its authority by failing to obtain congressional approval for the event.
Judge Mehta found the plaintiffs' interests did not outweigh the money and time already committed to the event, as per the US News.
The event is being organised by Freedom 250, a foundation set up via an executive order Trump signed at the start of his second term. Trump chairs the associated task force, with Vice-President JD Vance as his deputy, it said.
