UFC Event Scheduled on White House South Lawn for Sunday Evening
A seven-fight mixed-martial-arts card will begin at 8 p.m. on the South Lawn and coincides with President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. The event is titled UFC Freedom 250.
New York PostM. on Sunday. An octagon structure has been placed on the lawn roughly where Marine One normally lands.
Elevated seating supported by under-floor scaffolding surrounds the octagon to level the lawn’s slope. Two massive steel arches nicknamed “The Claw” hold lighting and limited rain protection above the ring. Small trailers labeled “Octagon Girls” sit beneath the structure.
Large event tents and portable bathrooms stand near the Washington Monument and the South Lawn fountain. The two title fights will each run five rounds of five minutes unless ended by submission or knockout. Justin Gaethje will face Ilia Topuria for the lightweight title, and Alex Pereira will meet Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title.
The remaining five bouts will consist of three five-minute rounds each. Winners of the two championship fights and President Trump will each receive championship belts containing 60 carats of diamonds and 2 carats of rubies. The 14 fighters are expected to enter the octagon through the White House, passing a bell and drums on their way.
Approximately 4,000 people received tickets for in-person attendance at the South Lawn. President Trump was allocated 1,000 tickets. Dana White received 200 tickets. Ari Emanuel received 200 tickets.
A National Park Service court filing cited more than 1,000 members of the armed services receiving tickets. The Ellipse can accommodate up to 120,000 additional people seeking tickets outside the South Lawn.
Budweiser, Polymarket, and law firm Morgan & Morgan logos appear on the cage. 5 million each for logo placement. The UFC has spent well over $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor on the event.
Mark Shapiro, president and chief operating officer of TKO Group Holdings, stated that the company will not make money on the event and views it as a long-term investment. Mark Shapiro stated that the card is intended to drive subscriber acquisition at Paramount+ and generate Super Bowl-like earned media. The event will be broadcast on CBS and Paramount Plus.
