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New lawsuit challenges UFC event at White House on Trump’s birthday

By
FOX Local
Sports
Published June 7, 2026 12:08 PM MST
Published June 7, 2026 12:08 PM MST
article

In an aerial view from the Washington Monument, preparations continue for the Ultimate Fighting Championship Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn on June 07, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)

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The Brief

    • A new lawsuit looks to stop the UFC matches set to take place on the White House South Lawn.
    • The event is scheduled for Sunday, June 14, which coincides with President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and Flag Day.
    • The lawsuit claims that the event violates National Park Service regulations that bar sporting events on federal parklands.

With just over a week to go until UFC combatants square off on the White House South Lawn, a new federal lawsuit looks to stop the June 14 event.

Big picture view:

The lawsuit was filed Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents who claim the Trump administration’s authorization of the event violates National Park Service regulations that bar sporting events on federal parklands. Additionally, the plaintiffs note, Congress did not approve of the arch that overlooks the event and no environmental review was conducted.

What they're saying:

"This is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain," said Brendan Ballou, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. "And that is what is motivating this lawsuit."

The other side:

The White House dismissed the lawsuit as "an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory" attempt to stop the fight and argued that the event was "no different than the various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year."

The backstory:

The UFC matches, which happen on Flag Day, are scheduled to coincide with President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and are part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

RELATED: UFC Freedom 250: Match details at the White House in June

Trump has previously said the UFC project would put a 5,000-seat arena right next to the White House. Large screens will also be erected in a park at the nearby Ellipse. The UFC added it intends to issue as many as 85,000 free tickets to fill both locations.

The Source:  Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.

SportsDonald J. TrumpWashington, D.C.News