Lawsuit Threatens UFC Freedom 250 at White House as Fight Week Arrives

A federal lawsuit seeks to deliver a knockout blow to the upcoming UFC fight at the White House, ruining plans deep in the works for President Trump to celebrate his 80th birthday with a mixed-martial arts event on the South Lawn.The Public Integrity Project filed the lawsuit on Saturday on behalf of two Virginia residents, who contend the Trump administration’s authorization of the June 14 event is unlawful. According to the complaint, the approval violates National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands. The lawsuit also contends Congress did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted before the construction.“This is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain,” a lawyer for the plaintiffs, Brendan Ballou, said, according to the Associated Press. “That is what is motivating this lawsuit.”With the event in the final days of preparation, any injunction canceling or delaying the event would be disastrous for the celebrants. The UFC has already projected it will lose about $30 million on the White House event, according to UFC President Dana White. A giant metal dome formed by an 87-foot canopy of arches called “The Claw” is being erected to cover the 5,000-seat arena and its many expected VIP guests. Additionally, infrastructure has been assembled at the nearby Ellipse where the crowd, many of whom are military service members, is expected to reach 85,000.The White House moved quickly to denounce the lawsuit, issuing a statement, calling the legal challenge “an obstructionist, baseless and dilatory” attempt to keep the UFC and Mr. Trump from staging the event. The White House hosting the UFC is “no different than various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year.”The lawsuit comes just as the start of fight week begins in anticipation of the unprecedented spectacle. UFC Freedom 250 features a seven-fight card to be aired on Paramount+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET. American fighter Justin Gaethje challenges Georgian-Spanish champion Ilia Topuria for the UFC lightweight title in the headliner, while the co-main event for the interim heavyweight title features former two-division champion Alex Pereira of Brazil against France’s Cyril Gane.Among those not overly thrilled with the concept is Joe Rogan, the popular UFC commentator and podcaster. Mr. Rogan will be part of the broadcast crew for the MMA card, but is not “thrilled about it.”Speaking on his podcast, Mr. Rogan said, “It doesn’t seem like a wise idea. It’s kind of a gimmick.” He pointed to possible issues with security, inclement weather, bugs, and the politics surrounding the event. “There’s two things I hate,” Mr. Rogan said recently, “I hate stadiums and even worse than a stadium is fighting outside.”Mr. White, who is a close friend of Mr. Trump, conceded concerns about the weather and bugs but insisted the event is far from a gimmick.“When you talk about a gimmick, there’s absolutely nothing gimmicky about this event,” Mr. White said. “We’re celebrating 250 years of America. We’re going to have all the representatives of the military there. Every fight on that card means something with who wins or loses that night, and it’s the most historical sporting event in American history.”

Lawsuit Threatens UFC Freedom 250 at White House as Fight Week Arrives

Lawsuit Threatens UFC Freedom 250 at White House as Fight Week Arrives

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