Tonight, a truly unprecedented event takes place on the White House, as seven UFC fights play out on the South Lawn.
The fight card is meant as a celebration of 250 years of the US, but it coincides with the 80th birthday of Donald Trump, a close friend of UFC chief Dana White.
Six of the seven fights feature American athletes, and the action culminates in two title bouts: Ilia Topuria’s lightweight defence against interim champion Justin Gaethje, and an interim heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane.
Among the other stars competing are “Sugar” Sean O’Malley and Michael Chandler, while controversial heavyweight Josh Hokit (who mocked Topuria’s divorce this week, before pretending to throw up at the weigh-ins) faces Trump’s favourite fighter, Derrick Lewis.
The fight night follows Friday’s press conference at the Lincoln Memorial, and Saturday’s weigh-in in the Ellipse park. Follow live updates and results from UFC Freedom 250, below.
Read MoreMeet Ilia Topuria, the stone-cold fighter headlining the UFC’s remarkable White House event
UFC White House fighter throws up at weigh-in: ‘So what? I was drinking’
UFC Freedom 250 LIVE
- White House hosts UFC fights to celebrate 250 years of US and Donald Trump’s 80th birthday
- Fights from 8.15pm ET/1.15am BST, streaming live on Paramount+, TNT Sports and HBO Max
- Main event: Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria vs interim champion Justin Gaethje
- Co-main event: Alex Pereira fights Ciryl Gane for interim heavyweight title
- American star Sean O’Malley faces Canada's Aiemann Zahabi at bantamweight
- Ex-Conor McGregor rival Michael Chandler in lightweight bout with Mauricio Ruffy
- Divisive heavyweight Josh Hokit takes on Trump's favourite fighter Derrick Lewis
- All-American middleweight clash pits Bo Nickal against Kyle Daukaus
- Diego Lopes vs Steve Garcia kicks off the night's action at featherweight
Trump loves crashing sports events – thanks to the UFC, he’s got his own
23:00 , Alex PattleAfter a chorus of boos at the NBA finals, the president now has form for disruptive big-game appearances, with similar moments at the Ryder Cup and US Open last year.
But Trump can now watch his friend Dana White’s event from his own back garden, far from detractors...
Full comment:
Trump loves crashing sports events – thanks to the UFC, he’s got his own with a twist
Judge rejected bid to block Trump’s UFC fight at White House
22:45 , Alex WoodwardA federal judge rejected a request for an injunction to block the Trump administration from holding tonight’s fight event.
The lawsuit was filed by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two civic activists, who accused the administration of a "deeply corrupt" scheme to benefit the president's allies.
Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the plaintiffs did not prove they would face "irreparable harm" or be "directly affected" by the event, which they do not plan to attend.
The judge stated that the for-profit elements of UFC Freedom 250 and the lack of congressional approval or environmental review were not new information.
He also stressed that the stage and all other materials would be removed immediately after the fights conclude.
Judge rejects bid to block Trump’s UFC fight at White House
How Secret Service will protect Trump during ‘Rating 1’ threat level tonight
22:30 , Bruce GoldingRooftop sharpshooters, trained dogs, explosives experts, metal detectors and high-tech surveillance cameras are among the security measures the Secret Service will use to protect President Donald Trump during the controversial cage fights he's hosting at the White House this evening.
Former Secret Service agents told The Independent they were confident that Trump — who's been the target of three assassination attempts — would be sufficiently shielded as he celebrates his 80th birthday at the UFC "Freedom 250" event.
Bobby McDonald, who retired as second supervisor of then-Vice President Joe Biden's Secret Service detail, said the White House sat on "the safest 18 acres in America."
"Any event that's on the south grounds of the White House is going to be as secure as you can get," said McDonald, now an assistant professor of criminal justice and criminology at New Haven University. "Look, the president gets the highest level of protection we have, so everything under the sun will be on hand."
More here:
The Secret Service plan for ‘Rating 1’ threat level at Trump’s UFC event
Who can attend UFC Freedom 250?
22:15 , Alex PattleThere will be no general admission for the White House fights, which are expected to be invite-only.
However, fans were able to apply for free tickets to watch the fights from the Ellipse park, next to the White House.
UFC boss Dana White said in May: “[Trump] wants this to be mostly for the military, so there’s gonna be 4,300 people there. I just literally went over it right now; 4,300 people, and most of them will be military. 100 per cent [it’s a ‘thank you’ to the military].
“We’re gonna give away about 85,000 tickets [to the Ellipse]. There’s a process, you have to register for tickets, and they’re free [...] For those who don’t know, the Ellipse is a massive park. Literally, you’ll be able to see the fight[s] from the Ellipse, but we have screens, we’ve got stages, we’ve got music.”
Exclusive interview: Meet the stone-cold fighter headlining tonight
22:00 , Alex PattleIlia Topuria’s opponent, Justin Gaethje, stood with his mouth slightly agape as he looked up, down, side to side, and all around him. It’s understandable that the American fighter was overawed; here he was, standing at the Lincoln Memorial, about to wage a war of words with Topuria before waging a war in the cage on Sunday – on the White House’s South Lawn.
So how comes Topuria, when he emerged moments later, was wearing a smirk?
He told me why he’s so “relaxed” about fighting at the White House, and feeling like he’s “lived it already”:
Meet Ilia Topuria, the stone-cold fighter headlining the UFC’s White House event
Is the UFC White House fight card good enough? Here are our grades
21:45 , Alex PattleWe graded every fight on tonight’s card, as well as the event overall.
What do you think? Were we harsh or fair?
Is the UFC’s White House card good enough? Grading every fight
UFC Freedom 250 fight card in full
21:35 , Alex PattleSubject to change; ‘C’ denotes champion:
Ilia Topuria (C) vs Justin Gaethje (lightweight title)
Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane (interim heavyweight title)
Sean O’Malley vs Aiemann Zahabi (bantamweight)
Derrick Lewis vs Josh Hokit (heavyweight)
Mauricio Ruffy vs Michael Chandler (lightweight)
Bo Nickal vs Kyle Daukaus (middleweight)
Diego Lopes vs Steve Garcia (featherweight)
How to watch UFC Freedom 250 tonight
21:25 , Alex PattleThe event will stream live on Paramount+ in the US and UK. TNT Sports and HBO Max also allow access to the fights in the UK.
It was thought that CBS could show some of the action in the US, but Dana White said at the final pre-fight press conference: “It’s very simple, it’s on Paramount+. The whole show is on Paramount+.”
UFC Freedom 250 start time tonight
21:13 , Alex PattleThis evening’s fight card will begin at 1.15am BST on Monday, which is 5.15pm PT / 7.15pm CT / 8.15pm ET tonight.
UFC Freedom 250 LIVE: Welcome!
21:03 , Alex PattleTonight, a truly unprecedented event takes place on the White House, as seven UFC fights play out on the South Lawn.
The fight card is meant as a celebration of 250 years of the US, but it coincides with the 80th birthday of Donald Trump, a close friend of UFC chief Dana White.
Six of the seven fights feature American athletes, and the action culminates in two title bouts: Ilia Topuria’s lightweight defence against interim champion Justin Gaethje, and an interim heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane.
Among the other stars competing are “Sugar” Sean O’Malley and Michael Chandler, while controversial heavyweight Josh Hokit (who mocked Topuria’s divorce this week, before pretending to throw up at the weigh-ins) faces Trump’s favourite fighter, Derrick Lewis.
Follow live updates and results from UFC Freedom 250, below.
