UFC Freedom 250: What you need to know about the unprecedented White House event

History will be made in Washington DC on 14 June, when Donald Trump marks his birthday with cage fighting on the White House lawn.

The mixed martial arts event, billed as UFC Freedom 250, is also to mark the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence on 4 July.

Here's everything you need to know about the first-ever set of fights at the White House.

Who's on the card?

Two title bouts top the White House fight card:

• Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje - UFC Lightweight Title (unification)

• Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane - Interim UFC Heavyweight Title

Georgian-Spanish fighter Ilia Topuria is undefeated going into his latest showdown, with seven KO wins and eight submissions on his impressive resume.

The 29-year-old is the only UFC fighter to have won titles in two divisions without suffering a loss, having vacated a featherweight championship to go up to lightweight in 2025, where he beat Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight belt.

In his way of another historic victory is interim champion Justin Gaethje. The veteran US fighter, 37, has an impressive record of 27 wins - 20 by KO - and five losses. He's a two-time Interim UFC Lightweight Champion, having won the title in May 2020 and January 2026.

The other main event sees Brazilian powerhouse Alex Pereira attempting to be the first fighter in UFC history to win a title in three weight classes.

He will face Ciryl Gane, a former interim champion and three-time heavyweight title challenger with interim gold on the line.

Those fights will be preceded by five non-title battles:

• Sean O'Malley vs Aiemann Zahabi - Bantamweight

• Mauricio Ruffy vs Michael Chandler - Lightweight

• Bo Nickal vs Kyle Daukaus - Middleweight

• Diego Lopes vs Steve Garcia - Featherweight

Are tickets available?

The famous UFC octagon cage will be erected on the South Lawn of the White House, and there will be around 4,000 people there to see it, according to UFC president Dana White.

In a press conference earlier in May, he said Mr Trump would receive 1,000 tickets to hand out; Mr White and TKO Group CEO Ari Emanuel would have 200 each and the remaining tickets would be distributed across branches of the military.

But the UFC has committed to issuing 85,000 free tickets to watch the event on eight large screens in Ellipse Park, which is across the street from the White House.

Those hoping to watch on the big screens can request tickets on the event's official page until Saturday 23 May at 4.59am UK time.

Why the White House?

Donald Trump first outlined his plans for a White House UFC event on Independence Day last year, telling a celebrating crowd in Iowa: "So every one of our national parks, battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honour of America 250. And I even think we're going to have a UFC fight.

″Think of this on the grounds of the White House," he said, adding that it would be a "full fight" with 20,000 to 25,000 people watching live.

Mr Trump has long been a fan of the sport, and was the first sitting president to attend a UFC show, watching a 2019 fight that was stopped because of a cut over the loser's eye that left blood pouring down the fighter's face.

Read more:
Pending tax claims against Trump to be dropped
Everything you need to know about the World Cup 2026

After his election victory, he attended a fight with House Speaker Mike Johnson and a large political entourage in New York, and he also went to further UFC bouts in Newark and Miami last year.

On why he enjoys the sport, he told podcaster Logan Paul as he campaigned for his second term: "I have respect for fighters, you know, when you can take 200 shots to the face and then look forward to the second round."

Mr Trump is also a close friend of Dana White's.

When is it - and how can I watch it?

The preliminary fights will take place from 9pm Sunday 14 June BST, with the main card scheduled to start at 1am BST on Monday morning.

The main events will be available to watch on TNT Sports with a subscription, while the earlier fights can be seen with a UFC Fight Pass.

(c) Sky News 2026: UFC Freedom 250: What you need to know about the unprecedented White House event