Trump, flyovers and bloody fights: What it was like inside UFC Freedom 250

WASHINGTON — Two presidents walked side by side as they made their way through the Oval Office and down to the South Lawn. Crossing a red carpet adorned by red and blue stars atop a white border, America’s Donald Trump and the UFC’s Dana White soon arrived at a 30-foot cage where men were moments away from punching, kicking and choking each other until someone either went to sleep, tapped or a referee stepped in to stop it. And that was just the start of UFC Freedom 250. The mixed martial arts extravaganza saw 14 fighters compete Sunday night underneath a 92-foot structure called “The Claw” that was set up just steps away from the most important office in the world. It was all to mark Trump’s 80th birthday and America’s 250th anniversary, a night of celebration for the president given added impetus by the announcement hours earlier of a tentative deal with Iran. Surrounding the octagon were more than 4,000 spectators that included members of Trump’s administration and special VIPs — including Mark Zuckerberg, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, FBI Director Kash Patel and many others. When the national anthem was sung before the first fight of the night, a group of bomber planes buzzed overhead, drawing a rave response from the crowd. Trump sat cageside — to the right of his wife, Melania, and left of White — for the entirety of the night. After Diego Lopes brutally knocked out Steve Garcia following a back-and-forth slugfest, Lopes put on his trademark cowboy hat and hopped up on the ring to celebrate with the crowd. He beat his chest a few feet above Trump, who smiled and applauded. That was the first of many interactions fighters had with Trump. In the next bout, Bo Nickal landed a left hook followed by a short right that dropped Kyle Daukaus to the mat midway through Round 1. He jumped on his opponent and continued to rain down blows before the referee put a stop to the fight. Immediately after he hopped the cage and went to see Trump. They shook hands and exchanged words while Trump’s hair flew in the air as the winds picked up. He then put on a white hat to keep everything intact for the remainder of the night. Mauricio Ruffy, Sean O’Malley and Josh Hokit — who drew a mixture of laughs and scoffs in the crowd for invoking an unfounded right-wing conspiracy theory that former first lady Michell Obama is “a man” — were all victorious leading to the co-main event. In that bout, Ciryl Gane claimed the interim heavyweight title with a shocking knockout of former light heavyweight and middleweight champion Alex Peireira. When the referee stepped in to end it early, the crowd was so perplexed it was silent for a few seconds before the music came on and fans started clapping. The main event, which didn’t start until after 12:30 a.m. ET, also delivered. In one of the biggest upsets in recent memory, Justin Gaethje earned a fourth-round TKO victory over previously unbeaten titleholder Ilila Topuria. With Trump looking on just feet away, Gaethje landed a huge combination in the third round that bloodied the face of Topuria to the point that the fight was nearly called off by the on-site doctor. He continued in the fourth but took so much of a beating that Topuria’s team threw in the towel after it ended. “I’m from America. Two hundred and fifty years ago we were way bigger underdogs and look at us thriving now,” Gaethje said post fight. “To all the current, former and future service members, thank you so much.” The card, which began a little more than an hour after originally planned due to weather concerns, was unique in more ways than one. After attendees faced multiple layers of security to get onto the White House grounds, secret service agents — including next to the press row — monitored the crowd. Thousands of members of the active military surrounded the upper portions of the seating area. One, with the Air Force, told NBC News he was “honored to be here.” “I’m very grateful to have this opportunity to celebrate the military and everybody who serves,” he said from the stands. UFC fighters typically walk out to bouts from the bowels of an arena. This time they went through the White House (and in the case of the main event, the actual Oval Office) to get to the cage. On the way, instead of a DJ playing their music on loudspeakers, they heard it from “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, which was on site to play before fights and during breaks in the action. Over commercial breaks, aside from a few advertisements from sponsors like Bud Light, the screens at the White House showed packages focused on patriotism and the military. One was a dramatic video with a voiceover from President Trump that ended with him saying “Join. The. Fight.” A moment later “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers played while the PA announcer thanked the troops. “Please stand to honor our armed services,” he said. “To those who wear the uniform of the United States of America, we are forever grateful for your service.” The event marked a culmination of the friendship between White and Trump. When White struggled to find venues for the UFC after purchasing the nearly bankrupt fight promotion for only $2 million in January 2001 — largely due to state regulations — he turned to Trump. The casino owner opened the doors for the MMA promotion at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey for its first two events under new leadership. In return, White has been a major supporter of Trump on the political trail. He stumped for Trump at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland and also delivered remarks in support of Trump at the 2020 and 2024 RNC conventions. White’s public sentiments helped the Republican in the polls with young men, a demographic that makes up a large percentage of UFC fans. White insists his relationship with Trump is not political and that Sunday’s event was simply a celebration for the U.S. “I love this country and this event was for America’s 250th birthday,” White said. “There was no other political agenda … Hopefully tonight created some unity.”