MS NOW’s Nnamdi Egwuonwu reported Sunday on the “rowdy crowd” queuing up on Constitution Ave. in preparation for the Freedom 250 UFC fights at the White House — and the Washington, D.C. residents who say they’re fed up with the spectacle.

“Now, if you really look at this crowd, I want you to observe something. The bulk of the people in here, they’re young. These are young men,” Egwuonwu said. “And if you think about the president’s base or the core of his base, this is his bread-and-butter across ethnicities. In 2024, he improved his performance with young, Black men, with young Latino men, young white men. So if you think about who’s coming out to support this, who may actually praise the fact that he’s having a UFC match on White House grounds, or the people in line, all of whom appear to be pretty supportive of the president.”

“That being said, we have also, over the course of the last few days, talked to plenty of people who take issue with this entire thing, describing it as a ‘circus,’ a ‘spectacle.’ I just spoke to a gentleman who called it a ‘clown show,’ and really taking issue with the amount of taxpayer resources going to this,” Egwuonwu said.

Egwuonwu interviewed one D.C. resident who said he doesn’t understand how UFC fights “make the country great.”

“It’s a circus rather than a celebration of the country,” the man said. “I still feel like we’ve gotten away from all of the things that make the country great. All of the other historical facts. I’m not sure where UFC fits in with a celebration of the United States and our existence, but go figure.”

Egwuonwu pointed out that the tab for the 92-foot claw, arena, and octagon were paid for by the UFC and its affiliates.

“According to a court filing, it cost around $60 million. But when you think about the law enforcement presence here, I mean, we have seen DEA, we have seen U.S. Marshals. We’ve seen the National Guard, Maryland State troopers, metropolitan police, Secret Service agents — a huge law enforcement presence here. The fact that they’ve closed multiple major roads, there is still a very large taxpayer cost.”

The fights are scheduled to kick off around 8 p.m. Sunday, and, although the weather could make for an unpleasant experience, UFC chief Dana White said only lightning would stop the bouts.

Watch the clip above via MS NOW.

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