White House South Lawn set for UFC card built around towering cage
UFC Freedom 250 will stream Sunday from a temporary arena at the White House, with about 4,000-plus attendees expected on site.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
UFC is scheduled to hold a mixed martial arts card Sunday night on the White House South Lawn, staging a temporary arena for an event tied to President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and the nation’s 250th anniversary, according to The Associated Press. The event, billed as UFC Freedom 250, puts a major combat sports promotion inside one of Washington’s most controlled spaces and will stream on Paramount+.
The centerpiece is a structure known as the Claw, AP reported. Built around the Octagon, it rises more than 90 feet and carries lights, speakers, heavy wiring and four large video screens so spectators away from the cage can see the fights.
AP described the production as a $60 million-plus show and said the setup occupies the South Lawn area normally associated each spring with the White House Easter egg roll. A federal lawsuit challenging the staging of the event was rejected Friday, AP reported.
Trump has attended UFC events for more than 25 years in Florida, New York and New Jersey, according to AP, but this will be the first UFC card held at the White House. AP reported that he first publicly raised the idea at a July 2025 rally in Iowa, where he spoke of a full fight event with 20,000 to 25,000 people.
The final in-person crowd is expected to be much smaller. AP said about 4,000-plus people are expected inside the temporary arena, while up to 120,000 fans who received free admission through a lottery are expected to watch outside at the Ellipse, the public park south of the White House.
UFC CEO Dana White has framed the event as a one-off production, AP reported, with promotion extending across the capital, including fighter training in front of the Washington Monument and a news conference at the Lincoln Memorial. White said getting in and out would be difficult, but said the event would be “incredible” if the weather cooperates.
Weather has already affected the schedule. AP reported that a Friday night news conference at the Lincoln Memorial was delayed by about an hour because of lightning, while White said the outdoor card would proceed rain or shine.
The fight lineup includes Alex Pereira of Brazil against Ciryl Gane of France for the interim UFC heavyweight title, according to AP. In another featured bout, Spanish-Georgian lightweight champion Ilia Topuria faces interim champion Justin Gaethje, one of two Americans who currently hold at least part of one of UFC’s 11 championship belts, AP reported.
AP said the seven-bout main card also includes former title-fight participants Michael Chandler and Derrick Lewis, plus former 135-pound champion Sean O’Malley. Middleweight Bo Nickal, a former Penn State wrestler and three-time NCAA Division I champion, is scheduled to fight Philadelphia’s Kyle Daukaus.
Nickal told AP he has developed a friendly relationship with Trump since meeting him at a 2019 White House ceremony for collegiate national champions. “I’ve been golfing with him a couple of times,” Nickal said, calling the experience surreal for someone who grew up in a Wyoming town of 5,000 people.
The event will not air on CBS, AP reported. Instead, UFC Freedom 250 will be used to drive Paramount+ subscriptions after Paramount became the new U.S. home for UFC events under a seven-year, $7.7 billion deal, according to AP.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.