On Sunday, June 14, the biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) event will take place. The UFC promotion is holding an event on the South Lawn of the White House. Big names like Justin Gaethje, Alex Pereira, Sean O’Malley, and the undefeated Ilia Topuria are ready to showcase their talents to the United States of America.
This historic fight card is celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States. MMA fans are anticipating this to be the most exciting event the UFC has ever held.
Dana White, the president and CEO of the UFC, is installing a very unique lighting system for this fight as well. He said that he wanted the White House to be a backdrop for each fight. In order for this to happen they are using “the claw”, a very large lighting system with four legs to support itself. It will shine over the octagon while also allowing fans to see the surrounding areas and beautiful landscape.
The venue on the South Lawn will hold roughly 5,000 people. Those people will include members of the military and guests invited by the UFC and White House. No tickets will go on sale, but there will be screens set up at the nearby Ellipse for 100,000 fans to watch.
It may seem odd for a fighting event to be on the White House lawn, the security has to be very high and it is dangerous but President Trump wants this to happen. He has been seen at many UFC events and is close friends with Dana White. Not only is the event celebrating USA’s freedom, but it is also on President Trump’s birthday.
Some of the largest fights of the year are on this card. Most notably Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje. Topuria has been on a rampage destroying his competition. The 17-0 fighter has been picking apart fighting legends such as Charles Oliveira, Max Holloway, and Alexander Volkanovski. He beat them all by knockout and as much as you dislike watching your favorite fighter lose, you have to have respect for Ilia.
On the other hand, Gaethje is known as a brawler. Gaethje has a record of 27-5 and he just recently beat a very promising prospect for the interim belt, Paddy Pimblett. These two fighters are experienced, and seem to be a very good match for each other.
The Freedom 250 event cannot come faster for fans, and everyone is ready to see these fighters battle it out on the South Lawn.