The UFC White House event has little choice but to adapt to the weather
Dana White has continued to stand firm, but the UFC’s White House event may have no choice but to make adjustments.
He dismissed concerns during fight week, even stating that the Freedom 250 event would go ahead despite lightning.
However, as White said in April when discussing the UFC’s preparations, they would have no choice but to wait this one out.
It’s fight day, and it seems like one of those issues is already going to come into play later today, with rain currently forecast for parts of Washington DC at that time.
UFC Freedom 250 faces a severe weather threat, as a thunderstorm warning has been issued
A high probability of thunderstorms has been a worry for UFC Freedom 250 ever since early forecasts began to circulate about a week before the event.
The UFC does have backup plans in place for situations like this, so they’ll be prepared to adjust if needed.
On the day of the event, AccuWeather is calling for “a heavy thunderstorm late this afternoon; storms can bring flash flooding and damaging winds.”
They also expect those conditions to stick around into the evening, along with the humidity that Sean O’Malley has already mentioned he’s not looking forward to dealing with.
Earlier in the week, Dana White explained that the UFC’s approach to lightning would mirror standard practice across sports: pause and resume once conditions are safe.
“Whenever there was lightning, you’d sit the lightning out, and then when it was over, you played,” he said. “That’s what we’ll do.”
The forecast suggesting thunderstorms could persist into the night might complicate those plans. With an 8 pm local start time, moving up the schedule could be one way to get ahead of any delays.
The BBC’s hour-by-hour outlook for Washington DC on June 14 shows a shift from heavy rain showers to thundery showers between 8 and 9 pm. While most of the day is expected to stay dry, steady thundery showers are likely after 9 pm.
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