Construction is officially underway on a temporary arena at the White House for UFC Freedom 250, set for June 14.
The venue is expected to seat roughly 5,000 people, primarily military members and invited guests of the UFC and the White House. No tickets will be sold to the public, with additional fans able to watch on screens at the nearby Ellipse.
TKO Group Holdings expects event costs to exceed $60 million and aims to secure about $30 million in corporate sponsorships. Security costs will be handled by the Secret Service and local law enforcement at taxpayer expense. Mark Shapiro described the situation as a "moving target".
UFC Freedom 250 is headlined by lightweight champion Ilia Topuria defending his title against interim champion Justin Gaethje. In the co-main event, Alex Pereira faces Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title, and Sean O'Malley meets Aiemann Zahabi in a bantamweight bout.
The pre-fight press conference and ceremonial weigh-ins will be held at the Lincoln Memorial.
