The UFC fight at the White House commemorates the 250th anniversary of the United States and President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
Published May 27, 2026
Yet another White House construction project is underway in the United States, but this one is only temporary.
Crews are building an octagonal cage on the South Lawn, which will host Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matches next month, in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
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Online renderings show what the completed, chain-link fenced battle space will look like before the June 14 event. A red, white and blue stage beneath a towering Star-Spangled Arch is surrounded by two large screens showing the action live.
The cage and stage itself are surrounded by thousands of temporary seats, including a ringside space for the entire marching band, turning the entire scene into loud music.
This project is part of a series of events celebrating the 500th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Other events planned include an IndyCar race past the White House and the Great American State Fair on the National Mall.
President Trump said the completed UFC project will include a “5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House.”
Additional large screens will be installed at nearby Ellipse Park to broadcast the fight, and the UFC said it plans to issue up to 85,000 free tickets to accommodate spectators at both venues.
“I’ve never seen people want something so badly that they want tickets,” President Trump recently said of the demand for attending UFC matches, adding, “It’s going to be something.”
The card has been criticized by fans online as underwhelming, as it only features two championship fights. Brazil’s Alex Pereira will face France’s Cyrille Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight title. Next up, Spanish and Georgian lightweight champion Ilya Topria will take on interim champion Justin Gaethje. Gaethje is one of only two Americans currently holding a share of the UFC’s 11 championship belts.
The octagon and its surrounding structures are the latest projects in the White House construction boom led by President Trump.
Other efforts by the president to make his mark include demolishing part of the Rose Garden to make way for a patio space reminiscent of Florida’s Mar-a-Lago mansion, affixing partisan plaques to the colonnaded walls for the President’s Walk of Fame, redoing the bathroom in the Lincoln Bedroom and renovating the Palm Room, installing a new flagpole on the north and south lawns, and demolishing the entire east wing to make way for more space. Ballroom.
The president also wants to repaint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House and build a 250-foot (76-meter) arch at the nearby Lincoln Memorial, where fight organizers say the weigh-in for an upcoming UFC bout will be held.
