Construction began on May 26 for an octagon-shaped UFC cage and arena on the White House South Lawn in Washington, D.C., ahead of a scheduled fight night on June 14, 2026 [1, 2, 3]. The event, called "UFC Freedom 250," will mark the United States' 250th anniversary and former President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday [4, 5, 3].
Organizers plan for the arena to seat between 4,300 and 5,000 people, mostly military personnel, on the White House grounds [4, 5, 6]. About 85,000 free tickets will be made available for the public to view the fights on large screens in a nearby park known as the Ellipse [5, 7, 3].
The fight card features two championship title matches: an interim heavyweight bout between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane, and a lightweight championship fight with Ilia Topuria facing Justin Gaethje [5, 1, 6]. Earlier plans for as many as eight or nine title fights and crowds of up to 25,000 were scaled back for the final event [5, 1].
UFC president Dana White and Donald Trump, who are longtime allies, have both publicly endorsed the event [4, 5, 7]. Trump said, "We’re having a big fight. It’s never going to happen again, never happened before," and added, "I have never seen anybody want anything so much as people want those tickets... That’s gonna be something" [5, 2, 3].
The UFC's parent company is investing about $60 million in the event but said it will not make a profit, viewing it as a "long-term investment," according to Mark Shapiro, president of TKO Group Holdings [5, 7]. VIP "high roller" packages offering special access could cost up to $1.5 million, though the UFC has not officially confirmed that price [5, 7].
The arena will feature patriotic decorations including red, white, and blue motifs, stars-and-stripes patterns, large screens, and space for a marching band [1, 3]. However, some UFC fighters, like Brandon Royval, have criticized the event. Royval described the White House fights as catering to wealthy elites, saying, "我才不想在那些該死的億萬富翁和有錢人面前比賽，他們根本不在乎我。他們可能還在下注。去你的。" [7].
The construction may cause temporary disruption to nearby events, such as the Scripps National Spelling Bee [1]. The UFC fight night will be the first professional live sporting event held on White House grounds [5, 8].
The "UFC Freedom 250" event is set for June 14. The construction and final preparations continue on the South Lawn as the date approaches [4, 5, 1].
