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Washington — For the first time in U.S. history, the White House is hosting United Fighting Championship bouts on Sunday, marking the nation’s 250th anniversary and coinciding with President Trump’s 80th birthday.
Mixed martial arts fighters are squaring off on the White House South Lawn for UFC Freedom 250, culminating in a main card fight between Georgian-Spanish Ilia Topuria and American Justin Gaethje for the undisputed UFC lightweight championship. The main card is streaming on Paramount+, which is owned by Paramount Skydance, the parent company of CBS News.
The president, Vice President JD Vance and other top officials are in attendance. The South Lawn is filled with thousands of guests, including members of the military. Fans are also watching from the nearby Ellipse, and UFC has a map of bars showing the fights.
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Mr. Trump has sought to bring the fights to his presidential turf for almost a year, and UFC executive Dana White is a longtime friend of the president. The two stepped onto the balcony together at the start of the event, and someone in the crowd shouted “Happy birthday,” which was met with applause. Zac Brown Band, accompanied by the Joint Armed Forces Chorus, sang the national anthem as a military flyover occurred at the end.
The UFC event is just the first of a number of events marking the country’s 250th birthday. The Great American State Fair and the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., are other events on tap this summer from Freedom 250, a Trump-aligned organization planning events for the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The view of the White House from nearby streets had been altered by the setup of star-spangled rigging, which towers at over 92 feet and encloses a UFC Octagon. Mr. Trump told reporters the rigging — known as the “Claw” — will come down after the fight.
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Two Virginians sued over the planned fights, arguing UFC had been unlawfully granted “unfettered access to the White House … to stage a private, for-profit sports event, with all the promotional and branding opportunities that accompany such access.”
A judge on Friday declined to block the event after the president’s Justice Department, with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche at the helm, defended the administration’s plans, asserting that the plaintiffs filed their case too late and couldn’t prove harm.
“It would be easy enough to simply avert their gazes for the weekend,” the Justice Department said in a filing. “Instead, they seek to enlist the power of a federal court to impose their idiosyncratic preferences on the rest of the country and ruin an event designed to celebrate the United States of America.”
The president invited some of the fighters to the White House last month.
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The main card event promises to be an interesting fight. Topuria, or “El Matador,” is undefeated at 17-0, and Gaethje, known as “The Highlight,” is considered the underdog.
“First of all, it’s not gonna be the biggest in UFC history; I think it’s gonna be one of the biggest events in sports history, one of the more memorable ones,” Topuria said, according to UFC. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime, very unique event, and being able to be part of an event like this — especially headlining an event like this —is something I feel very grateful about. I’m very excited for what’s coming.”
But an undisputed UFC title would be a first for Gaethje, who is eager for the challenge.
The two have had a personal scuffle online, after Gaethje made comments about his opponent’s ex-wife.
“All that guy is, is a gimmick,” Gaethje told Fox Sports Australia. “He calls himself the king. He thinks he’s a God. … I couldn’t imagine being in a room with him for 30 minutes listening to him talk about himself … And I can say this: I would leave him. That’s all I’m saying. I would leave him.”
Topuria said: “Justin crossed a line.”
“What happened between my ex-wife and me is our business,” Topuria wrote on X. “We may no longer be together, but she is the mother of my daughter.”
AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta 
Gaethje said he was “joking.” A reporter asked Gaethje in a press conference if he feels like he’s made Topuria overly emotional with some of his comments.
“I hope so. I hope so,” Gaethje responded. “I hope he’s going to come out very aggressive.”
Gaethje didn’t want to preview his approach for the fight.
“Everything is misdirection,” he said. “I’m never going to show my cards before the fight.”
The full list of fights:
- Lightweight Title Bout: Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje
- Heavyweight Interim Title Bout: Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane
- Bantamweight Bout: Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi
- Heavyweight Bout: Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis
- Lightweight Bout: Maurício Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler
- Middleweight Bout: Bo Nickal def. Kyle Daukaus
- Featherweight Bout: Diego Lopes def. Steve Garcia
