Inside Trump's UFC fight on the White House South Lawn
The Ultimate Fighting Championship match is set to kick off Sunday evening on the grounds of the White House with the mixed martial arts fight series taking place on the South Lawn under a full-scale UFC Octagon.
The event, called "UFC Freedom 250," is billed as a celebration of America's 250th anniversary -- and it coincides with President Donald Trump's 80th birthday.
The fight fest, spearheaded by the president along with UFC CEO and longtime Trump ally Dana White, has sparked an immense amount of controversy, curiosity, money and even a legal challenge. But the show will go on, according to the White House -- even if severe weather forecasts disrupt the event.
The South Lawn now holds a custom-built UFC Octagon and features giant video screens, patriotic staging and a massive overhead structure, named "The Claw."
How many people are expected to attend
Admission to the South Lawn event is invitation-only for over 4,000 guests. But a much larger crowd is expected to watch on The Ellipse, near the Lincoln Memorial and surrounding areas outside of the White House grounds.
At an event in the Oval Office in May, Trump touted the "big fight" as an unprecedented event. "It's never gonna happen again. Never happened before," he said. "And it's all of the best fighters."
Roughly 125,000 guests are expected at and around the White House complex for the fights and an additional 75,000 people requested tickets, according to court documents submitted by the Trump administration as part of a now-rejected lawsuit seeking to block the event. The scheduled events will cost more than $60 million, according to the documents.
The court documents show that planning for the event has been a monumental effort from more than seven federal agencies, with hundreds of staff working onsite in the 11 months since Trump announced the fight.
UFC Freedom 250 has been designated a Special Event Assessment Review 1 event, with security similar to an event like the Super Bowl or the Kentucky Derby. Tickets are required for the watch party on the Ellipse and fans will have to pass through TSA-like screening, officials said.
The United States Secret Service is partnering with the U.S. Park Police for security, according to Tara McLeese, special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Washington Field Office.
Officials have said there are no known credible threats to the event.
What to know about costs, sponsors
The White House said the UFC is covering the costs despite the fact that the court filing states that the seven agencies have "allocated significant resources and manpower."
The documents are not specific about the extent of government resources that have been spent on the event but said the seven agencies include the Executive Office of the President, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Park Police, the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Security for the event will be fronted by taxpayers too.
Notably, different sponsors' logos are placed on mesh sides and padded corners of the Octagon, as seen during the press preview of the arena on Thursday. Many of the companies have close ties to Trump: Morgan & Morgan, Bud Light, Dodge Ram, Corona Extra and Polymarket, a controversial prediction market.
The Polymarket sponsorship comes at a time when there are already concerns about potential insider trading among White House staff and allies as betting on prediction markets have come under scrutiny.
The White House warned staff in an email in March not to make prediction market bets related to the Iran war, a White House official told ABC in April. The warning came March 24 amid heightened concerns of insider trading on prediction markets like Polymarket after some suspicious bets were uncovered, timed oddly close to major military events related to the Iran war and U.S. military action in Venezuela.
The White House did not immediately respond to ABC News when asked whether they have warned administration staff about betting on Polymarket or other prediction markets as it relates to the UFC fight in particular.
When and how to watch
UFC Freedom 250 will air on Paramount+ in the U.S. at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday.
According to the UFC, the event will be headlined by two title matches: Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje for the Lightweight title and Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane for the Heavyweight Interim title. There will also be five other matches.
Other featured events surrounding the UFC Freedom 250 fight this weekend, according to the UFC, including immersive fan experiences, live shows featuring UFC athletes, celebrity appearances and exclusive on-stage moments, plus meet and greets, live music and the UFC Freedom 250 Ceremonial Weigh-in.
What to know about the weather
The event is encountering significant threats due to weather.
On Friday, The Weather Channel's forecast for Sunday in D.C. projects a 62% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. The weekend heat may also pose a challenge for the fighters, with highs expected to go up to 90 degrees on Sunday.
UFC President Dana White insisted this week, however, that Sunday's event would move forward regardless of the forecast.
"Standard contingency plans for weather are in place to ensure the safety of the President and all patrons," according to a White House official, adding: "Ticketed guests will receive all event communication through UFC's ticketmaster system."
