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UFC arena under construction on White House lawn to mark Trump’s 80th birthday
TL;DR
An Ultimate Fighting Championship arena is being constructed on the White House lawn to celebrate Donald Trump's 80th birthday and the US's 250th anniversary. The event is scheduled for June 14, featuring a 5,000-seat capacity arena.
Key points
- UFC arena construction is underway on the White House lawn
- Event scheduled for June 14 to celebrate Trump's birthday
- Arena will have a capacity of 5,000 seats
Construction is under way on the White House lawn for an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) arena that will host a cage match next month to mark the US’s 250th anniversary and Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
The mixed martial arts fight is planned for 14 June.
Photos of cranes and other construction equipment on the White House lawn Tuesday show the beginnings of the temporary construction. Trump has said that the finished project will feature “a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House”.
Online renderings depict what the completed, wire-mesh-fence-ringed fight space is expected to look like. The octagon-shaped cage will be ringed by a red, white and blue stage under a towering arch featuring stars and stripes patterns and two large screens carrying the action live.
Equipment is seen being placed on the South Lawn of the White House on 26 May. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP
The cage and stage will themselves be surrounded by thousands of temporary seats, including ringside space for a full marching band that can set the entire scene to blaring music.
Trump first floated the idea of hosting a UFC fight on the White House grounds last year, during an appearance in Idaho on 4 July 2025 when he announced festivities planned to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday on 4 July 2026.
“Think of this on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there,” he said, originally adding that it would be a “full fight” with 20,000 to 25,000 people in attendance.
In December, Trump said the White House event would host “eight or nine championship fights – the biggest fights they’ve ever had.” But like the size of the crowd, the number of fights expected to be held on the White House lawn has shrunk. The fight card includes two title fights: a lightweight championship fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje in the main event, and an interim heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane.
Q&A
What is the date of the UFC event on the White House lawn?
The UFC event is scheduled for June 14.
How many seats will the UFC arena on the White House lawn have?
The arena will have a capacity of 5,000 seats.
What special occasions is the UFC event celebrating?
The event is marking Donald Trump's 80th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the United States.
