An Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fight planned at the White House will take place on Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, the United States president said, despite the much-hyped event having been previously announced for July 4.
“On June 14 next year, we’re going to have a big UFC fight at the White House – right at the White House, on the grounds of the White House,” Trump told a crowd of navy sailors at the huge naval base Norfolk in Virginia.
He did not mention that June 14 is his birthday or that next year will be his 80th.
On his 79th birthday this year, Trump held a military parade that was meant to commemorate the founding of the US Army.
In August, UFC boss Dana White said the mixed martial arts (MMA) bout at the White House would be held on July 4 next year, the day the US marks the 250th anniversary of its founding.
Trump has been a supporter of UFC for decades – most recently attending a UFC 316 event in New Jersey on June 7 – where fighters punch, kick and grapple with their opponent in a no-holds-barred battle to submission or knockout.
Bringing the brutal combat sport to the centre of US political power will mark a historic first.
At a news conference shared on UFC’s YouTube channel, White said early next year, “we’ll start looking at building the White House card, which I will right now tell you will be the greatest fight card ever assembled in the history of definitely this company.”
UFC is the largest and most successful organisation in the burgeoning world of MMA, a blend of martial arts disciplines like jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, boxing and wrestling.
Bouts take place in an eight-sided ring – dubbed the “Octagon” – bounded by a chainlink fence.
With few exceptions – such as eye-gouging – male and female fighters are allowed to employ almost any technique to attack their opponent.
The sport’s popularity with young men – a key demographic in the 2024 US election – and Trump’s long association with the UFC have made the president a regular fixture at some of its more high-profile events, where he is greeted like a rock star.
Its brutal nature and high injury rate mean the sport is controversial, with doctors decrying the potential for brain damage among fighters who are repeatedly hit in the head, though it has gained increasing mainstream acceptance in recent years.
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