On Sunday, June 14, the South Lawn of the White House will be the site of a unique sporting event: a UFC fight.
Dubbed the UFC Freedom 250, the fight is being held in honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
According to the Trump administration, it is a coincidence that the fight will be held on June 14, which is observed annually as Flag Day and will also mark the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump.
While a lawsuit threatened to stop the event, plans for the UFC Freedom 250 fight are moving forward, undeterred, after the lawsuit was rejected by a judge.
In fact, Sec. of State Marco Rubio hosted UFC CEO Dana White at the White House on June 12 for a special signing ceremony.
“Sunday is an unbelievable, historic, I think never-to-be-repeated — until next year — experience for the American people,” Rubio stated.
He then went on to say:
“The White House is the people’s house. It belongs to the people of the United States. The America250 celebration belongs to the people of the United States, and there are millions and millions of Americans from all walks of life that are not necessarily attuned to politics or the financial markets, or anything else, but they love this sport … For them to be able to see this event with their White House in the background, as part of our celebration as a country and our 250 years, I think, is a gift to the American people. That’s what Sunday is about.”
Rubio added, “They’re going to see their White House, and their Capitol, on their nation’s birthday, celebrating with an historic event.”
See how to tune in and watch the fight below…
Ahead of the event, the weigh-in occurred on Saturday, June 13, at the Ellipse just off the lawn of the White House. The Zac Brown Band also performed for attendees, starting at 9:30 p.m.
There, a bald eagle was brought in to flyover the crowd.
WE HAVE A BALD EAGLE MAKING AN ENTRANCE AT THE UFC FREEDOM 250 WEIGH INS
[ #UFCWhiteHouse | SUNDAY, JUNE 14 | 8PM ET LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/FA9Olisho2
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) June 14, 2026
Another beautiful, and startling moment, occurred by the reflecting pool as lightning struck past the Washington Monument as a rainbow was cast across the sky.
See the stunning moment, here:
Fight night energy is taking over DC.
UFC Freedom 250 is almost here. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Zdqv8eS2HY
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 13, 2026
Watch Dana White and Marco Rubio speak on the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 event, here:
How To Watch The Fight
Starting at 8 p.m. EST on Sunday, June 14, the UFC Freedom 250 fight will be held on the South Lawn of the White House.
A total of approximately 4,300 people will be seated in the audience, with UFC CEO Dana White saying many will be veterans.
Prior to the fights, UFC announced that Zac Brown Band will perform the National Anthem, “setting the tone for the most historic fight card of all time.”
Competitors are expected to enter the ring from the Oval Office, taking advantage of the historic venue.
The headlining fight of UFC Freedom 250 will be between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, who are vying to prove their dominance as lightweight champions.
A heavyweight fight will also be held, featuring Alex Pereira against Ciryl Gane.
Here is the full fight lineup:
- Main event (lightweight title bout): (C) Ilia Topuria vs. No. 1 Justin Gaethje;
- Co-main event (interim heavyweight title bout): No. 2 Alex Pereira vs. No. 1 Ciryl Gane;
- Bantamweight bout: No. 3 Sean O’Malley vs. No. 6 Aiemann Zahabi;
- Heavyweight bout: No. 5 Josh Hokit vs. No. 9 Derrick Lewis;
- Lightweight bout: No. 9 Mauricio Ruffy vs. No. 13 Michael Chandler;
- Middleweight bout: Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus; and
- Featherweight bout: No. 2 Diego Lopes vs. No. 9 Steve Garcia.
The fight will be carried live on Paramount Plus, exclusively. There will be no simulcast on Paramount’s network television partner, CBS. Further, there will not be a pay-per-view upsell.
The entire event will be available to stream through Paramount Plus, regardless of which subscription plan an individual has.
Paramount Plus subscription plans start at $8.99.
Watch the official trailer for the fight, here:
