WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday Sunday cageside at a multimillion-dollar bloody mixed martial arts event staged on the White House South Lawn, punctuated by fighter jet flyovers, a live military band and fireworks to mark the country’s 250th anniversary.
It also included the airing of a conspiracy theory about a former first lady, Michelle Obama, during post-fight comments by one of the contestants.
The spectacle promoted by the Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championship, billed as Freedom 250, was exclusively shown on the paid subscription platform Paramount+. The Trump-organized event was not affiliated with the national nonpartisan organization America 250, a commission created by Congress.
Aside from a blood sport taking place in the backyard of the White House, the night served as a first for several other extraordinary sights. That included live pre-fight sports commentary from inside the White House, and fighters warming up in offices-turned-lockerrooms at the neighboring Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
VIPs, including members of Congress and tech giants, sat under the lights in the temporary arena able to hold up to 4,300 guests. Tens of thousands of UFC fans crowded the Ellipse, where the fights were displayed on two mammoth screens.
The event reportedly cost $60 million, according to a government court filing. VIP sponsorship packages, including a chance to sit cage-side under “the claw” cost up to the widely reported price tag of $1.5 million.
Between praise for the American military and Jesus Christ, fighters delivered insulting and expletive-laden comments from inside “the Octagon.” Two American fighters, Bo Nikal and Josh Hokit, thanked Trump for having “the balls” to host the event at the White House.
Hokit, a former NFL player, during his live post-fight comments to massively popular podcast host Joe Rogan, insulted Brazilian fighter Alex Pereira’s mother and then repeated a right-wing conspiracy theory claiming former first lady Michelle Obama is “a man.”
Rogan did not challenge the comment. Shortly after his remark, Hokit placed his victory chain around Trump’s neck and the two shook hands. The moment was captured and posted on social media by White House special assistant Margo Martin.
The official UFC YouTube clip of the California heavyweight’s speech does not include his unfounded insult of Obama.
Bright lights and flyovers
Spotlights from the UFC’s 92-foot steel canopy that dwarfed the White House and towered over “the Octagon” cage could be seen in the night sky from neighborhoods around Washington, D.C., and several residents took to social media to complain that a B-1 bomber flyover at 11:30 p.m. Eastern woke them. Fireworks exploded until nearly 1:30 a.m.
Drinks in hand, US service members in short-sleeve dress uniforms celebrated from the seats — several sailors even taking part in the “YMCA” dance during the Marine Corps band’s live cover of the Village People’s 1978 hit, a staple at Trump’s events.
Trump and UFC CEO Dana White entered the arena just before 8:30 pm. Shortly after, a dozen fighter jets, in a joint “Super Delta” formation performed by the US Air Force Thunderbirds and Navy Blue Angels, flew overhead during the national anthem, performed by country music star Zac Brown.
Trump sat just below the fighting cage between first lady Melania Trump and White, an ally who has delivered primetime addresses in support of Trump at the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Republican National Conventions.
Trump was surrounded by family, including his son, Barron, who sat behind him and shook hands with several guests who approached the president, according to pooled dispatches from the White House press corps.
Several winning fighters jumped over the cage rail to shake the president’s hand following the individual matches.
Eight US fighters
Of the seven-fight card’s 14 competitors, eight were American. The violent bouts were accompanied by cheers of “USA!” and various taunts, including shouts that Canada should be “the 51st state” as American bantamweight fighter Sean O’Malley defeated Canada’s Aiemann Zahabi. Trump applauded O’Malley and shook his hand following the individual fight.
The main event featured a title match between lightweights American Justin Gaethje and Spanish-Georgian Ilia Topuria. Officials named Gaethje the winner just after 1 a.m., as the badly battered Topuria, with a bloodied face, was declared incapable of continuing, according to pool reports.
Fighters were paid a $250,000 performance bonus sponsored by World Liberty Financial, a crypto currency venture owned by the Trump family, according to broadcast announcers.
Cameras delivering the exclusive Paramount stream showed notable lawmakers and tech moguls in the crowd, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., former wrestler and college wrestling coach Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The press corps reported Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was also nearby.
Trump, Zuckerberg and White spoke for several minutes during a break in the fights just before 10 pm, according to pool reports.
Other notable guests included Kris Marszalek, CEO of Crypto.com, one of the event’s two primary sponsors, and Polish President Karol Nawrocki.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s former personal defense attorney and his attorney general nominee, shook hands as he moved through the crowd, according to press pool reports. Several other presidential Cabinet members were present, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who on Thursday signed a “sports diplomacy” agreement with UFC.
Also in attendance was Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, whose reportedly $111 billion corporate takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, was cleared by the Justice Department Friday, a key last step for the merger.
Paramount+ has a $7.7 billion multi-year content deal to exclusively carry UFC events.
The event, which was to start at 8 pm, was delayed for roughly an hour because of the threat of thunderstorms. The fights wrapped up just after 1 am.
Weekend festivities included a UFC press conference Friday night in front of the Lincoln Memorial, and a two-day fan festival on the Ellipse that featured motorcycle stunts from the Nitro Circus and a concert from the Georgia-based Zac Brown Band.
The UFC controlled media credentialing for the event on the White House grounds.
‘No Kings’ protest
The event faced sharp criticism but remained unscathed by an eleventh-hour lawsuit challenging the legality of UFC’s use of the White House lawn.
Performers and celebrities staged a counter-concert organized by the Committee for the First Amendment, an activist coalition of artists spearheaded by Jane Fonda.
The No Kings protest organization promoted a livestream from The Town Hall in New York City, and encouraged people to organize remote watch parties for the “Rise Up, Sing Out” concert featuring Patti Smith, Bette Midler and Rufus Wainwright, among others.
C-SPAN also streamed the nearly two-and-a-half hour concert, though some performances were muted because of licensing restrictions.