UFC Freedom 250 is officially scheduled for June 14 on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., in a unique event tying mixed martial arts to a major national celebration.
The card will mark the 250th anniversary of the United States and will also celebrate President Donald Trump's 80th birthday, which falls on the same day. UFC Freedom 250 is slated to feature seven fights, including two title bouts.
Trump, a longtime UFC fan and friend of UFC CEO Dana White, has a history with the promotion that stretches back to hosting events at his Taj Mahal in Atlantic City in the early 2000s and attending numerous UFC cards, including UFC 327 in Miami.
Dana White addressed his relationship with Trump and the attention around the event, saying, "It's not like I'm out here saying – I mean, even if you look at any of my speeches at the Republican Convention, they're never political. I'm never talking about one side or the other side. This guy (Trump) is a very good friend of mine, and that's it. And he's a big fan of the sport."
Reflecting on how far the UFC has come, White added, "I've been doing a lot of interviews this week with big mainstream outlets, and I was talking about it yesterday, they say, 'Could you have ever imagined?' Well, no, I mean, you don't ever," and continued, "I had always believed in the brand and in the sport, and I thought it could be big, but you don't think of stuff like that. I mean, we deal with world leaders all the time, rulers of countries, presidents, and all these different political figures from around the world. It's pretty crazy what the sport of fighting will get you in the middle of."
