UFC Paid for Entire White House Event and $700,000 Lawn Repair After Freedom 250 Fights

UFC paid $700,000 to restore the White House lawn after hosting the Freedom 250 cage fights on the grounds Sunday. The payment formed part of an overall $60 million budget that included construction of the temporary “Claw” arena. A DC government spokesperson told ESPN that extra policing around the White House approached $12 million, or about $38 per tax-paying resident of the capital.

City officials said the amount would be drawn from a federal fund designated for special events. The White House stated that UFC funded and paid for the entire event, adding that no taxpayer dollars were used beyond employees’ normal duties. It further said any public cost figures should come from interviews given by UFC and TKO executives and that the White House had not participated in cost negotiations or sponsorship talks.

Fourteen fighters used the Eisenhower Executive Office Building as a locker room and walked out in front of the White House itself. A Marine Corps band performed throughout the evening. m.

M. that shook buildings across downtown Washington. An estimated 80,000 spectators attended a watch party on the Ellipse. TKO Holdings reported that sponsorships from Budweiser, Polymarket and the maker of Monster Energy covered about half the total cost, or roughly $30 million.

The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment on military expenses or possible reimbursement. The overtime costs for federal law enforcement agents and National Guard members also remained unclear, as did the exact process by which UFC would repay the federal fund.

Mark Shapiro, president and chief operating officer of TKO, told The Hollywood Reporter that the anticipated financial loss was viewed as a long-term investment in subscriber growth and global media exposure.