The UFC’s White House event has taken a daring twist after it was confirmed that a veteran stuntman will perform a death-defying stunt during the show.
The historic fight night is set to take place on Sunday evening – which just so happens to be Donald Trump’s 80th birthday – on the White House’s South Lawn.
Despite being snubbed by a plethora of A-listers in recent weeks, UFC chief Dana White is still aiming to make it a spectacle to behold, confirming that Nitro Circus legend Travis Pastrana will perform a backflip on a dirt bike at the event.
On Tuesday, White revealed that Pastrana had pitched the idea during a Power Slap event, expecting to be laughed off by the UFC supremo.
In a video call, White said to Pastrana: ‘You grabbed me at Power Slap and said, ‘I want to do a backflip on the South Lawn of the White House.” And I said, ‘Interesting. All right, let me see what I can do.”
In the end, the UFC chief was able to get the idea passed by event organizers and now the veteran Nitro Circus star is set to feature at the UFC’s biggest ever event.
An octagon and stage has been constructed on the South Lawn for the UFC’s historic event
Nitro Circus legend Travis Pastrana will perform a backflip on a dirt bike during the show
Most recently, Pastrana made headlines after riding a dirt bike through a Las Vegas casino ahead of the launch of the upcoming Nitro Circus tour.
However, a performance on the South Lawn will undoubtedly gain more interest.
The UFC Freedom 250 event has split opinion in the build-up and, this week, custom outfits that the ring girls will wear once again left fans divided.
Typically, ring girls – or ‘Octagon girls’ as the UFC calls them – would wear basic red or black outfits when on duty, but the organization opted for a change this weekend.
Instead, the girls will be wearing red, white and blue costumes. The new design pays homage to the American flag, as part of the Semiquincentennial celebrations.
In pictures released by the UFC, ring girls Chrissy Blair and Red Dela Cruz modeled the new outfits, showing off the patriotic look, less than one week out from the event.
In one of the images, Blair is seen wearing a striped patterned skirt, while Dela Cruz stands beside her in a short dress which boasted themes of the American flag.
The outfits will be worn by the girls during the ceremonial weigh-ins and on fight night on the White House South Lawn.
Pastrana expected the idea to be laughed off when he presented it to UFC chief Dana White
The White House will host a fight for Dana White’s MMA promotion on June 14
While some fans raved over the new look, the majority were unconvinced.
After pictures of the Octagon girls went viral on X, one fan wrote: ‘This is so tacky’.
Some 4,000 guests will pack around an octagon erected on the South Lawn, with ringside seats reportedly going to those who have stumped up more than $1 million in sponsorship.
Trump controls 1,000 tickets personally, with White and Ari Emanuel holding 200 each. Chief of staff Susie Wiles has been helping the president hand-pick attendees.
TKO Group Holdings president Mark Shapiro put the total cost of the event at around $60 million, with UFC said to be shouldering most of the bill.
