UFC Freedom 250 will be held on June 14th, President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, an event that has drawn criticism and political pushback.
UFC Freedom 250
The White House main event will feature a lightweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. Fans are already excited to see the outcome of this bout.
In the co-main event, Alex Pereira will defend his interim heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane.
Other bouts on the card include Sean O’Malley, Michael Chandler, and Bo Nickal.
There will be 5,000 VIP/military seats on the South Lawn, and another 80,000 seats at the adjacent Ellipse Park for the event. Tickets for UFC Freedom 250 are free.
White said, “We’ll announce how we’re gonna be giving them away soon, but you should plan on going to Washington DC for this event.”
It is believed the UFC is funding the entire event, projected to cost $60 million, according to Sports Business Journal.
Event Concerns
UFC Freedom 250 is moving forward despite concerns about terrorism amid the war with Iran.
Additionally, the recent domestic attacks at Old Dominion University in Virginia and at a Michigan synagogue are being investigated as terrorist attacks.
Joe Rogan, UFC announcer and podcaster, expressed concerns that the event will be targeted by pro-Iranian terrorists.
He said, “It sounds crazy,” said Rogan, who opposes the war with Iran. “It’s going to be very high security and high stress and weird to have a fight at the White House in the middle of a f***ing war.”
Officials with the UFC have promised unprecedented security measures for the White House event; however, Rogan remains skeptical.
“I would hope the war will be sorted out by June, but quite honestly, I’m not confident that’s going to be the case.
“It will be weird, having this high-profile event where everybody is in one place at one time right there.
“It seems like you’re asking [for trouble],” Rogans states.
Trump Hype for White House Event
In an interview with Jake Paul, Trump states he plans to attend UFC Freedom 250, and says, “It’s going to be amazing at the White House.
“And Dana [White] is a great guy. He’s a good fan of yours, you know. Dana is a good guy. The best. I mean, there’s nobody like him.
“[White] had the idea of staging it right at the front door of the White House. We’ll be right in the front door of the White House.
“And he’s got a tremendous card. I don’t even know if it’s filled out, but I just saw it, and it looks like it’s going to be all top guys. They all want to fight at the White House.
“So it’s going to be in honor of the 250th year. It’ll be great,” Trump said.
Sources:
Daily Mail: Donald Trump breaks silence amid criticism of UFC’s White House event and reveals his plan for fight night
ESPN: Dana White: UFC to issue 85,000 free tickets for White House card
CBS Sports: Dana White Announces All Main Events Up to UFC Freedom 250
Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
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