{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreifoueejjom6itoz5762tszd3d4qhnrw3xq4aulp7svc6um6hpmdsy",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:ynwa33gtvzflpay5wzazrv2i/app.bsky.feed.post/3mo6rdvepron2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreicca4gkj376opgng5orfnr66lb7tfcpazwlbgqlf3kts2oy2pd76a"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 127187
  },
  "path": "/politics/2026/06/12/white-house-fight-history-and-criticism/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-13T16:40:35.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.deseret.com",
  "tags": [
    "UFC Freedom 250",
    "“human cockfighting",
    "White told CNN",
    "one of my very good friends",
    "Why troops who don’t meet fitness standards won’t be found at upcoming White House UFC bouts",
    "attempted assassination on the president",
    "When asked by CNN",
    "publicly floated the idea",
    "seven fights on the card",
    "according to ESPN",
    "pic.twitter.com/WI4DwcZkZ6",
    "May 26, 2026",
    "As reported by the Los Angeles Times",
    "LLC called Freedom 250",
    "pic.twitter.com/0H27cOk1jk",
    "June 13, 2026",
    "lawsuit filed to stop the event",
    "rejected the request for an injunction",
    "A recent Reuters poll says",
    "not a fan of the outdoor venue",
    "according to Axios",
    "White says the event will go on",
    "pic.twitter.com/B6gMEfrAW6",
    "according to a court filing from the National Park Service",
    "The White House issued a statement to Time saying,",
    "@JamieMetzl",
    "@aaronshill"
  ],
  "textContent": "You may have heard that there’s a historic UFC fight card scheduled for the South Lawn of the White House.\n\nOr maybe you’ve heard that there’s a brutal cage match designed to honor President Donald Trump taking place on National Park Service land.\n\nUFC Freedom 250 has been called “insane” — by people who love the idea, and by people who hate it.\n\nUltimate Fighting Championship is the world’s most visible mixed-martial arts organization, hosting regular events with fighters from around the globe with a $7.7 billion media rights deal with Paramount+.\n\nThis particular event, taking place on the South Lawn on Trump’s birthday, comes with a deep layer of politics and controversy.\n\nWhether you’re excited for, offended by or curious about the event, here’s a look at how UFC Freedom 250 came to be and what to expect.\n\n### Donald Trump and Dana White\n\nTrump and UFC President and CEO Dana White have a 25-year friendship that dates back to when the sport was still banned in 36 states and was derided as “human cockfighting” by Arizona Sen. John McCain.\n\nIt was Trump who agreed to host UFC 28 in November 2000 at his Taj Mahal property in Atlantic City. The event was sanctioned by the state of New Jersey and introduced the new “unified rules” of mixed martial arts.\n\n“He saw the potential in the sport,” White told CNN.\n\nWhite calls Trump “one of my very good friends” in his very small circle of friends. Trump has described White as “an amazing man.”\n\nWhy troops who don’t meet fitness standards won’t be found at upcoming White House UFC bouts\n\nWhite has introduced Trump at two Republican national conventions. He was at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner when there was a shooter now charged with an attempted assassination on the president.\n\nWhen asked by CNN if he was worried about aligning too closely with such a polarizing president, White said, “I don’t care.”\n\n“If you don’t like the fact that I’m friends with Donald Trump, that’s a your problem, not a my problem,” he said.\n\n### UFC Freedom 250 venue\n\nTrump first publicly floated the idea of staging a fight at the White House to celebrate America 250 on July 3, 2025. UFC Freedom 250 was officially announced in March.\n\nThe event will be held on June 14 — Trump’s 80th birthday.\n\nThe process of building a temporary arena on the South Lawn began May 22 with the assembly of what has been called “the claw.”\n\nTwo 92-foot-tall perpendicular arches hover over the octagon where the seven fights on the card will take place. The structure is designed by the Belgian company Stageco and was first used for a music festival in Europe, according to ESPN.\n\nThe claw weighs 600 tons. It can’t be anchored or dug into the South Lawn, ESPN reported, and a layer of matting was placed underneath to help protect the grass.\n\nWhite said the setup is designed to maximize visibility of the White House.\n\nMost of the fans in D.C. for the event will experience it from the Ellipse across the street. White says he anticipates 75,000 fans per day.\n\nTrump says it’s never happened before (he’s right) and it’s never going to happen again (we’ll see).\n\n### Criticism, challenges and cost\n\nThe assembly of “the claw” made the prospect of the event very real and visible — and criticism was quick to follow.\n\nAuthor and futurist Jamie Metzl called the event “a desecration of the White House, America, our history, and the dignity of the office of the presidency.”\n\n> UFC fights on the White House lawn are a desecration of the White House, America, our history, and the dignity of the office of the presidency. pic.twitter.com/WI4DwcZkZ6\n>\n> — Jamie Metzl (@JamieMetzl) May 26, 2026\n\nCritics have pointed out that the South Lawn belongs to the National Park Foundation, not the president. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, an LLC called Freedom 250 was created to “execute events, activities, and celebrations in or around national parks.”\n\n“Essentially, this is a hijacking of one of America’s oldest and most well-respected conservation organizations,” Aaron Weiss, director of the Center for Western Priorities, told the Los Angeles Times.\n\n> Fans waited out a weather delay for the press conference at the Lincoln Memorial. pic.twitter.com/0H27cOk1jk\n>\n> — Aaron Shill (@aaronshill) June 13, 2026\n\nThere was even a lawsuit filed to stop the event from happening, calling it a “volcano of corruption.” (A judge has since rejected the request for an injunction.)\n\nA recent Reuters poll says that only 16% of Americans think it’s “appropriate” to stage the fights at the White House, while 46% say it’s inappropriate. Thirty-eight percent didn’t offer an opinion.\n\nOne unexpected critic of the event is comedian, podcaster and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. He’s not a fan of the outdoor venue and said in March that he thinks a fight shouldn’t be held in a “noncontrolled environment.”\n\nAs it turns out, weather is a concern. It’s hot and humid in D.C., and there’s a high chance of rain in the forecast — and a 100% chance of bugs, according to Axios.\n\nWhite says the event will go on — even if they have to wait out a lightning delay.\n\n“Listen, the show goes on on Sunday no matter what happens, we’re going,” White told the crowd at the Friday night press conference. “I don’t care if it rains, snows, whatever happens, we have a fight on Sunday. I’m sick and tired of hearing about the weather now and all the other (expletive) surrounding this event. We are fighting on Sunday night on the White House lawn, no matter what.”\n\n> Dana White on the weather concerns: pic.twitter.com/B6gMEfrAW6\n>\n> — Aaron Shill (@aaronshill) June 13, 2026\n\nHow much is all this costing? About $60 million, according to a court filing from the National Park Service responding to the lawsuit, plus resources and manpower from seven federal agencies. The $60 million is being paid for by “UFC and UFC-affiliated organizations,” according to the filing.\n\nThe White House issued a statement to Time saying, “UFC is funding and paying for this entire event. There are no taxpayer dollars being used outside of what would be applied towards employees normal duties and responsibilities.”",
  "title": "Offended? Excited? Curious? What to know about the White House UFC fights"
}