Preparations are officially underway for the highly-anticipated Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event at the White House next month.
The UFC are set to host the historic event – dubbed ‘UFC Freedom 250’ – on June 14, in celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary and Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
Anticipation has been building ahead of the spectacle and, on Tuesday afternoon, the first signs of construction of the arena – set on the South Lawn – emerged.
Construction crews were seen assembling the grand, and temporary, venue – which will sit below a towering arch featuring stars and stripes patterns and two screens.
The arch itself seemed to be the first point of interest for the construction crew, who were seen lifting the immense structure into place on Tuesday afternoon.
It comes shortly after Donald Trump shared official renderings of the venue, which will feature a 5,000-seater arena situated on the South Lawn.
Construction is officially underway for the UFC’s event at the White House on June 14
Construction crews were seen assembling the temporary arena on Tuesday afternoon
The event, hosted by UFC chief Dana White, falls on Donald Trump’s 80th birthday
At the start of the month, the Commander-in-Chief showed off incredible renderings of the proposed layout, which displayed an Octagon in the colors of the American flag sitting right in front of the White House while surrounded by spectators.
Trump also claimed that the entire country is invited to the ‘free’ event, with an estimated 100,000 people expected to watch on a big screen at The Ellipse – the 52-acre park south of the White House fence – with 5,000 to be seated on the lawn.
‘I think it’s gonna be the biggest event we’ve ever had at the White House,’ Trump said.
‘The White House doesn’t really do athletic events for the most part, and these are all the greatest champions in the world. They’re the greatest fighters in the world, you can tell by looking at them.’
Trump was joined inside the Oval Office by the UFC stars who are set to headline the event when he first showed off the renderings of the temporary arena.
The card will be headlined by a lightweight title bout between reigning champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje, while Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane will go head-to-head in a fight for the UFC heavyweight title in the co-main event.
Despite the excitement surrounding the event, there has also been some concern among fans given that the entire card will take place outside.
Recently, UFC chief Dana White admitted that, due to the open-air environment, organizers are bracing for a potential gnat invasion on the day.
An estimated 100,000 people expected to watch on a big screen at The Ellipse – the 52-acre park south of the White House fence – with 5,000 to be seated on the South Lawn
Donald Trump unveiled breathtaking renderings of the UFC’s White House event on May 6
The 56-year-old revealed that a recent dinner with Trump in the Rose Garden was bombarded by the insects, which were reportedly impossible to ignore.
‘Another problem that I always think about, especially on the East Coast, bugs,’ White admitted, while speaking with the Boardroom podcast.
‘President Trump just opened the Rose Garden two nights ago and he invited me to dinner there. The amount of gnats that were flying around … I’m like, “Holy s***.”
‘As soon as I got on the plane, I called my head of production and said, “Yeah, let me tell you about the gnat situation tonight.”‘
White, who has been a longtime supporter of Trump, admitted that the experience raised concerns over how the event would be impacted, especially in terms of lighting, camera shots and the overall broadcast presentation.
‘So when you’re a fighter, think about that lighting grid, the amount of power in the lights… moths, gnats, and God knows what else,’ he added.
Trump was joined in the Oval Office by four fighters involved in next month’s historic card
The President was surrounded by the likes of Ilia Topuria (left) and Justin Gaethje (right)
White proposed installing air fans in the event structure to deter the gnats from the venue as he and his production team continue to search for a solution.
‘These are all the little details that we have to think about,’ he continued. ‘That’s why I don’t like fighting outside. Ever.’
UFC CEO White, a longtime ally of the president, has promised that the Freedom 250 event will be the ‘biggest in the history of the sport’.
The massive project is reportedly costing the UFC roughly $60million, with Super Bowl-style security set to be enforced on the night.
