Donald Trump turns 80 and celebrates with UFC cage fighting on the White House lawn

U.S. President Donald Trump waves alongside Dana White, president and CEO of UFC, as they arrive for the UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington.

WASHINGTON -- Fuelled by a dose of high-octane patriotism, U.S. President Donald Trump and UFC boss Dana White walked out from the Oval Office to chants of “USA!” to greet military members and political dignitaries set to watch one of the more surreal spectacles in sports and even in the nation’s capital: cage fighting on the White House lawn.

A long-time fight fan with a 25-year professional relationship with White, Trump turned 80 on Sunday and fans gathered on a gloomy night on the South Lawn cheered when one fan yelled out “happy birthday!”

Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia opened UFC Freedom 250 in a featherweight bout under the structure known as the Claw, a four-sided mass that arcs more than 90 feet (27 metres) into the air and features lights, speakers, thick snakes of wiring and four large screens so fans not seated right next to the Octagon can follow the cage fighting below.

Garcia walked out of the White House draped in an American flag and accompanied by two police officers. Lopes walked out to the Mexican song “La Chona.”

Fans were as quiet for the start of the main card Sunday as they might be for the preliminary fights held hours before a pay-per-view event in a normal fight arena, such as Madison Square Garden. Closer to the Rose Garden, fans did come alive when Lopes landed a flurry of punches to knock out Garcia in the second round.

The show was steeped in pageantry and stands as an outlier among UFC events. The Marine Band played from in front of the White House and Zac Brown sang the national anthem -- which is never played before normal UFC fight cards because of the mix of nationalities fighting inside the Octagon. The Navy’s Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds zipped overhead as part of a flyover.

UFC’s ring girls, who normally parade around the cage in skimpy outfits, were covered up for a more PG-rated fight night. The women were stylishly dressed in more full-body outfits, some that flowed past the knee or to the ground, that incorporated the American flag into the designs.

Bruce Buffer’s voice thundered from the cage as always for fight introductions, and his star-spangled threads fit the occasion: gold stars on the outside of his suit coat and mini American flags stitched inside.

Hours after the United States and Iran reached an agreement to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, offering relief to the global economy more than three months since fighting began, the White House -- long known as the people’s house and a symbol of American democracy -- opened its backyard to stage the fights.

More than $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have been poured into building the arena, according to a court filing from the National Park Service, which oversees the South Lawn.

UFC is staging seven fights with all male fighters under the Freedom 250 banner to celebrate Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing.

The fight card headlined by two title fights on Paramount+ was scheduled to start at 8 p.m. Eastern. The official televised portion of the show started closer to 30 minutes later and the first fight went off closer to 9 p.m.

Strong thunderstorms and heavy lightning disrupted Friday’s Lincoln Memorial promotional event, and the forecast for Sunday evening also looked menacing.

White said the show will go on rain or shine.

The rare UFC outdoors event marked the pinnacle of the relationship between White and Trump that has yielded personal, political and financial dividends for both parties. White’s first card as UFC president came in 2001 at an event held at Trump Taj Mahal.

Trump has attended four UFC cards as sitting president, walking to the cage amid rock music and patriotic chants from fans much like the fighters themselves. White introduced Trump at two Republican National Conventions. White also attended the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April that was cut short by a shooting.

In a card that has been panned by fans online as underwhelming, Alex Pereira of Brazil will meet Ciryl Gane of France for the interim UFC heavyweight title. Spanish-Georgian lightweight champion Ilia Topuria then takes on interim champ Justin Gaethje, one of just two Americans who currently hold even a share of the UFC’s 11 championship belts.

There are five other fights on the main card that include former title-fight participants Michael Chandler and Derrick Lewis and former 135-pound champion Sean O’Malley.

Not everyone was able to get tickets to the big event.

Even one of UFC’s champions.

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland was escorted out of the Ellipse event by a group of police officers and taken into a Park Police van Sunday.

Once a vocal supporter of Trump, Strickland has recently said on social media that he was not invited to participate in the event at the White House because he is an outspoken critic of Israel.

Strickland was wearing a black anorak jacket and was barefoot. It wasn’t immediately clear why law enforcement led him away.

White has rejected Strickland’s accusation that he was banned from UFC Freedom 250 events.

“Nobody is banned. Nothing is banned,” White told reporters earlier this month.