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“This will be the greatest show on Earth,” Trump said as he showed off images of the planned event before asking competitors to speak.
The renderings showed the 4,000-seat arena and octagon cage that will be constructed “right in front of the front door” of the White House, which will serve as the spectacular backdrop for the event.
An arch that will provide lighting and cover for fighters and spectators was also seen in the booklet Trump flipped through.
The president said an additional 75,000 to 100,000 spectators will be able to watch the event for free at the nearby White House Ellipse, where eight massive TV screens will be put up.
“Some people can take a punch and some people can’t. And in life, it’s always good to be able to do that,” the president said.
The card, dubbed UFC Freedom 250, is headlined by a lightweight title fight between belt-holder Ilia Topuria and challenger Justin Gaethje.
“What an unbelievable honor,” Gaethje said of getting a chance to fight on the South Lawn.
“To have a president that’s willing to go against an upstream and against the norms is truly special,” he added. “That’s why you got my vote. And it’s why we’re such a great nation right now compared to where we were.”
The fight is one of several events the Trump administration is planning to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The event will also coincide with the president’s 80th birthday.
UFC boss Dana White explained on “The Katie Miller Podcast” Wednesday that everything needed to put on the spectacle is currently being trucked down to Washington, DC, from Philadelphia, Pa., where a mock-up of the makeshift venue was built.
“I’m looking forward to doing this fight, all the vision, the logistics and everything are done. Now we just got to execute,” White said.
“The card is incredible, and it’s going to be a great night,” he added.
White also noted it was Trump’s idea to host a UFC fight at the White House.
“We were at a fight, and he leans over and says, ‘You should do a fight at the White House.’ And I said, ‘Yes. Yes, we should.”
White urged anybody looking for tickets to the event to ask the president because “he’s got more than anybody.”
“I think there’ll be world leaders there,” White teased. “There’s going to be a lot of military there.”
“The president wants all the branches of the military represented at the fight.”
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