Lawsuit Seeks to Block Trump’s Planned UFC Match at White House

A federal lawsuit filed on June 6 seeks an emergency court order to stop an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event from being held on White House grounds next week.

The UFC event was scheduled to take place on the White House South Lawn on June 14, which falls on Flag Day and President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, which organizers said was part of celebrations for America’s 250th independence.

The lawsuit, filed by two Virginia residents, alleged that the decision by the Department of Interior and the National Park Service to authorize the UFC event to be hosted at the White House was unlawful.

They argued that the event failed to meet the requirements for authorization under the National Park Service’s temporary rule enacted for the 250th anniversary, which allows the agency to disregard its permit rules and authorize “special events planned, organized, and executed” by federal agencies.

“The event is neither ‘for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence’ nor, crucially, being ‘planned, organized, and executed’ by the federal government,” the plaintiffs said in the suit.

“Rather, UFC Freedom 250 is a private, for-profit sporting event being ‘planned, organized, and executed’ by the UFC, its broadcast partners, and its advertisers, not by the federal government.”

The plaintiffs said the department’s approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands and that a 92-foot-tall UFC claw structure was being constructed at the venue without congressional authorization or environmental review.

“This is a profoundly corrupt scheme to enrich the President and his friends,” Brendan Ballou, founder of the Public Integrity Project that represents the plaintiffs, said in a statement.

“If this fight is allowed to proceed, it will be only the beginning, and our national monuments will become little more than branding opportunities for the rich and well-connected. We plan to stop that.”

In a statement to multiple news outlets, the White House called the lawsuit “an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory” attempt to prevent the administration from hosting the fight.

The White House said the event was no different than the various other events hosted on the South Lawn and from “properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year.”

Construction crews have begun assembling an octagon-shaped fighting cage on the South Lawn. Renderings released ahead of construction depict the signature UFC octagon positioned against the backdrop of the executive mansion, framed by giant video screens and red, white, and blue decor.

Officials have also discussed overflow viewing areas in a park known as The Ellipse just south of the White House. According to the UFC, as many as 85,000 free tickets will be issued to accommodate spectators.

Elma Aksalic and The Associated Press contributed to this report.