- President’s 80th birthday marked by White House UFC event.
- White House South Lawn transformed into combat arena.
- UFC Card featured multiple decisive finishes, interim title bout.
UFC White House: US President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday celebrations got underway at the White House with the South Lawn transformed into an outdoor UFC arena for the highly anticipated UFC Freedom 250 event. Trump was seated ringside as fighters entered a specially constructed 92-foot fighting enclosure known as “The Claw,” which had been erected on the historic White House grounds for the occasion. The festivities reportedly began with a flypast by the US Air Force, featuring aircraft flying in the Super Delta Formation. Spectators then witnessed fighters making their entrances from the White House itself as the event officially commenced.
White House South Lawn Turns UFC Arena
A victory, Presidental handshake, and salute by @SugaSeanMMA 🫡 pic.twitter.com/D5EDoGROZZ
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 15, 2026
For the event, the White House South Lawn was redesigned into a large-scale combat sports venue, with thousands of spectators in attendance. The massive fighting cage stood prominently in front of the White House, creating an unusual backdrop for a UFC card.
The event marked one of the most unique settings ever used for a professional mixed martial arts competition, with the White House serving as the centrepiece of the production.
The action inside the cage delivered several decisive finishes throughout the evening. The card opened with Diego Lopes defeating Steve Garcia in a featherweight contest via second-round stoppage. Bo Nickal followed with a first-round TKO victory over Kyle Daukaus in the middleweight division.
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Mauricio Ruffy secured one of the quickest finishes of the night, knocking out Michael Chandler in their lightweight matchup. In the heavyweight division, Josh Hokit defeated Derrick Lewis by second-round TKO.
Sean O’Malley also earned a stoppage victory, finishing Aiemann Zahabi late in the second round of their bantamweight contest.
One of the biggest moments of the evening came when Ciryl Gane defeated Alex Pereira by second-round TKO to capture the interim heavyweight championship.
The event concluded with the main event featuring UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and former interim champion Justin Gaethje, capping off a memorable night at the White House.
