Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday this Sunday with an unprecedented event in the history of the White House: an entire evening of mixed martial arts, dubbed "UFC Freedom 250".
The event was officially presented as part of the festivities for the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States.
The president's entrance
Trump exited the Oval Office alongside his friend and UFC president, Dana White, and walked to the octagon to the rhythm of chants of “USA!” from over 4,000 guests who were carefully selected for the occasion.
Before taking his seat, he greeted from the historic Truman balcony as the national anthem played and 12 military aircraft—Navy Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds—flew over the gardens.
The metal cage, named "La Garra," was installed under an arch 28 meters high, taller than the presidential building itself.
The Marines Band played music for the fighters' entrances, while Zac Brown sang the national anthem.
Flanked by his wife Melania and Dana White, Trump watched as Brazilian Diego Lopes knocked out American Steve García in less than three minutes in the first fight of the night.
A historic billboard
The seven fights of the event all ended by knockout or TKO, an unprecedented occurrence in the history of the organization.
In the main event, the American Justin Gaethje defeated the undefeated Hispanic-Georgian Ilia Topuria by corner stoppage in the fourth round, becoming the undisputed lightweight champion.
Gaethje celebrated with a somersault from the top of the cage and approached Trump for a congratulatory chat, draping the American flag over one shoulder and the belt over the other.
"Listen, I'm from the United States, 250 years ago we were much more than underdogs 6-1. I know that was absolutely legendary because I can hardly believe it," declared the new champion.
In the co-main event, the French Ciryl Gane defeated the Brazilian Álex Pereira by TKO at 1:27 of the second round, winning the interim heavyweight title.
Trump later entered the cage to personally congratulate the winners.
Controversy over conflicts of interest
The event generated strong controversy due to its commercial and political implications.
With a cost of 60 million dollars covered by the UFC, the subtitles for the broadcast on Paramount+ were sponsored by Trump Coin, the tokens featuring the president's profile sold by the Trump family itself.
World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency company backed by Trump and his children, contributed a bonus fund of $250,000 paid in its own stablecoin.
In March 2026, Trump had purchased between $15,001 and $50,000 in shares of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of the UFC.
A federal lawsuit attempted to block the event, citing a conflict of interest, but Judge Amit Mehta rejected the request last Friday.
The tickets were not sold to the general public; the UFC offered access to those who paid more than a million dollars.
"The vast majority of Americans are not celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States by watching a UFC fight. This is, in fact, a private event," stated Dan Rayburn, an independent online streaming analyst.
An intense Sunday
Among the attendees were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, FBI Director Kash Patel, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Polish President Karol Nawrocki, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The event took place on the same day that Trump announced a peace agreement with Iran to end the war and reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, after more than 100 days of conflict.
The event also served to divert attention from the debates about the leader's health, who admitted in a video that week:
"It’s not a figure I’m pleased with, but here I am anyway."
Last year, Trump celebrated his 79th birthday with a 45 million dollar military parade that sparked massive protests under the slogan "No Kings."
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