Trump begins construction of UFC arena near the White House
Photo: seven fights are scheduled at the tournament, two of them for titles (Getty Images)
White House construction begins for UFC Freedom Fights 250 tournament. Construction has officially started on the White House grounds ahead of the UFC Freedom Fights 250 tournament, which is set to take place in just a few weeks, according to Fox News.
On Monday, May 25, workers were seen assembling what appears to be part of a lighting structure, building a temporary arena designed to host approximately 5,000 guests.
Television channel notes White House event, the first professional sports competition ever held at the presidential residence
The broadcaster notes that the tournament on June 14 will become the first professional sporting event ever held at the White House. It will also coincide with the 80th birthday of US President Donald Trump.
In addition, a total of seven fights are scheduled for UFC Freedom 250. Two of them will be title bouts:
- Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje for the lightweight championship title;
- Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title.
What else is known
It is recalled that plans for the UFC mixed martial arts tournament to be held on the White House grounds became known a little less than a year ago, on July 5, 2025.
At that time, US President Donald Trump confirmed the event would take place, although there was no information on how advanced the preparations were or whether a final decision on hosting it had been made.
Already in October 2025, the US president stated that the fights would take place on June 14. Reuters noted that Trump views UFC fans as part of his political base, and as is known, midterm elections to Congress will be held in the United States in November 2026.
