Trump turns 80, celebrates with UFC cage fighting on White House lawn

Washington: US President Donald Trump turned 80 on Sunday and was set to celebrate with one of the more surreal spectacles in sport and even in Washington: cage fight on the White House lawn.

Against the backdrop of a three-month-old war with Iran that has been broadly unpopular with Americans, as it has pushed the inflation to its highest level since April 2023, the White House, long known as the people’s house and a symbol of American democracy, opened its backyard on Sunday night to stage a UFC card on the South Lawn.

More than $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labour have been poured into building the arena, according to a court filing from the National Park Service, which oversees the South Lawn.

UFC is staging seven fights featuring only male fighters under the Freedom 250 banner to celebrate Trump’s 80th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Indepen­dence. The fight card, headlined by two title fights on Paramount+, is scheduled to start at 8 pm Eastern.

It is the culmination of the relationship between UFC CEO Dana White and Trump that has yielded personal, political and financial dividends for both parties over the past 25 years. White’s first card as UFC president came in 2001 at an event held at Trump Taj Mahal. Trump has attended four UFC cards as president, walking to the cage amid rock music and patriotic chants from fans, much like the fighters themselves. White int­ro­duced Trump at 2 Repu­bli­c­an National Conventions.  -AP