President Trump and UFC President Dana White officially kicked off UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday evening, marking what Trump called 'the biggest fight of all time' during a pre-event ceremony. As reported by ABC News, Trump exited the White House side-by-side with White, walking from the Oval Office along the colonnade before appearing on the Truman Balcony. The Zac Brown Band, along with the Armed Forces Joint Chorus, sang the National Anthem with a military jet flyover occurring towards the end of the anthem. 'Welcome to UFC Freedom 250, here is the President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump,' the announcer declared as Trump stood on the balcony, with the crowd shouting 'happy birthday' which was met with applause. The event featured 'The Claw' - a massive overhead structure with giant video screens and patriotic staging, with admission to the South Lawn event being invitation-only for over 4,000 guests.
Eric Trump has categorically denied allegations of insider trading regarding his purported communications with former UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. According to Championship Rounds, Trump has shut down the posts as fake, claiming to have never contacted Cormier. In a recent statement, Trump wrote: 'This is completely fake! I have never reached out to Daniel. In fact, this is scary.' He added that 'We are aware of the fake, AI generated screenshots being circulated online. I have never spoken to Daniel. He has since deleted his post, which confirms it was clearly fabricated.' Kimberly Benza, director of executive operations and communications at The Trump Organization, repeated Trump's claims in an email to NBC News, adding that 'it appears that Daniel's account has been hacked.' Cormier, who is calling tonight's fights, also appeared to downplay the deleted post, writing 'Are people really this dumb?' his X account posted after the screenshots spread.
UFC Freedom 250 will air on Paramount+ in the U.S. at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, featuring two title matches: Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje for the Lightweight title and Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane for the Heavyweight Interim title. According to UFC, there will also be five other matches and additional featured events including immersive fan experiences, live shows featuring UFC athletes, celebrity appearances, exclusive on-stage moments, meet and greets, live music, and the UFC Freedom 250 Ceremonial Weigh-in. The event has encountered significant weather challenges, with The Weather Channel's forecast for Sunday in D.C. projects a 62% chance of afternoon thunderstorms and highs expected to go up to 90 degrees on Sunday. UFC President Dana White insisted this week that Sunday's event would move forward regardless of the forecast, with standard contingency plans in place to ensure the safety of the President and all patrons.
The scheduled events will cost more than $60 million, according to court documents submitted by the Trump administration as part of a now-rejected lawsuit seeking to block the event. The documents show that planning for the event has been a monumental effort from more than seven federal agencies, with hundreds of staff working onsite in the 11 months since Trump announced the fight. Roughly 125,000 guests are expected at and around the White House complex for the fights and an additional 75,000 people requested tickets, according to court documents. The event has been designated a Special Event Assessment Review 1 event, with security similar to events like the Super Bowl or the Kentucky Derby. The United States Secret Service is partnering with the U.S. Park Police for security, with officials stating there are no known credible threats to the event. Tickets are required for the watch party on the Ellipse and fans will have to pass through TSA-like screening.
The event features controversial sponsorships, including Polymarket, a prediction market platform that has come under scrutiny for potential insider trading. According to ABC News, the White House warned staff in an email in March not to make prediction market bets related to the Iran war, with the warning coming March 24 amid heightened concerns of insider trading on prediction markets after some suspicious bets were uncovered, timed oddly close to major military events related to the Iran war and U.S. military action in Venezuela. The Polymarket sponsorship comes at a time when there are already concerns about potential insider trading among White House staff and allies as betting on prediction markets have come under scrutiny. Despite these concerns, the White House said the UFC is covering the costs despite the fact that court documents state the seven agencies have 'allocated significant resources and manpower.'
