--- title: The White House UFC Event Is Costing $60 Million description: The event, which will take place on the White House grounds this weekend, has sparked widespread controversy. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/06/11/white-house-ufc-event-cost/ author: Chantelle Lee article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-06-11T19:32:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-06-11T20:59:17.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: The White House UFC Event Is Costing $60 Million og:description: The event, which will take place on the White House grounds this weekend, has sparked widespread controversy. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/06/11/white-house-ufc-event-cost/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte890ac113673e9ea/6a2b072dcf57621a7db5226b/White-House-UFC-Price.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: White-House-UFC-Price.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The White House UFC Event Is Costing $60 Million twitter:description: The event, which will take place on the White House grounds this weekend, has sparked widespread controversy. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte890ac113673e9ea/6a2b072dcf57621a7db5226b/White-House-UFC-Price.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The White House UFC Event Is Costing $60 Million > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Inside the Massive Arena Constructed for the UFC’s White House Cage Match [Watch (HLS stream): Inside the Massive Arena Constructed for the UFC’s White House Cage Match](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/AMPLXymq.m3u8) (1:26)  _Published 2026-06-12. The event, which will take place on the White House grounds this weekend, has sparked widespread controversy._ by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Updated: Jun 11, 2026 8:59 PM UTCPublished: Jun 11, 2026 7:32 PM UTC by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Updated: Jun 11, 2026 8:59 PM UTCPublished: Jun 11, 2026 7:32 PM UTC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event scheduled to take place at the White House on President Donald Trump’s birthday this weekend is costing more than $60 million, according to a recent [court filing](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.293217/gov.uscourts.dcd.293217.11.0.pdf). Dubbed [UFC Freedom 250](https://time.com/7309114/ufc-fight-white-house/), the fights are part of a lineup of events scheduled for this summer and promoted by the Trump Administration to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776\. The UFC event, though, is facing a legal challenge: the Public Integrity Project has filed a lawsuit against it, arguing that it would be an improper use of public property. Trump Administration officials have said the lawsuit is baseless. The federal government filed a court document on Tuesday in the case, in which it outlined some of the preparations for the fights, calling the event “a collaboration between the White House, executive agencies,” and the UFC. “In preparation, well over $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have been expended,” the document reads. “More than 4,000 spectators are expected to attend on the South Lawn, including more than 1,000 members of our armed services, and more than 120,000 visitors are expected to watch from the nearby Ellipse after winning free tickets in a lottery.” **Read More:** [_Inside the Massive Arena Constructed for the UFC’s White House Cage Match_](https://time.com/article/2026/06/11/inside-the-enormous-ufc-structure-built-for-the-white-house-s-fight-night/) More than seven federal government agencies “have allocated significant resources and manpower” for the event, including the Department of the Interior, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Aviation Administration, according to the court filing. "UFC is funding and paying for this entire event," a White House official said in a statement to TIME. "There are no taxpayer dollars being used outside of what would be applied towards employees normal duties and responsibilities." The UFC has [previously told media outlets](https://www.espn.com/mma/story/%5F/id/49002319/freedom-250-white-house-trump-dana-white) that it is covering the full production price tag. [Dana White](https://time.com/7020074/dana-white-ufc-sphere-trump-interview/), president and chief executive officer of the UFC, [previously told TIME](https://time.com/article/2026/05/26/dana-white-ufc-white-house-fight-interview/) that the company expects to lose about $30 million on the event. The event has sparked widespread controversy. Only 16% of Americans support the fights being held on the White House grounds, according to a [Reuters/Ipsos poll](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/few-americans-back-trumps-white-house-cage-match-plan-reutersipsos-poll-finds-2026-06-11/) released on Thursday. In comparison, 46% of Americans said they thought that holding the fights was inappropriate. Other America250 events promoted by the Trump Administration have also generated backlash. In May, several performers [pulled out](https://time.com/article/2026/05/29/great-america-state-fair-america-250-artists-concert-pull-out-young-mc-martina-mcbride/) of a concert series planned to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary, accusing the event of being politically charged. The President publicly lambasted those artists on [Truth Social](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116666021445682015), and later [announced](https://time.com/article/2026/06/05/trump-rally-america-250th-anniversary-performers/) “A Rally to end all Rallies” that will be held in the nation’s capital this month. ## Transcript Behind me on the South Lawn of the white House, workers have spent weeks transforming one of America's most recognizable public spaces into something unprecedented a UFC arena. On Sunday night, President Donald Trump is expected to attend seven mixed martial arts bouts held just steps away from the Oval Office. Part of the administration's celebration of the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding, the centerpiece is an eight sided octagon surrounded by temporary grandstands built to accommodate roughly 4000 spectators, while an estimated 120,000 additional visitors are expected to watch festivities nearby on the ellipse. But the scale of this event extends far beyond the fight card itself. According to a recent court filing, preparations have involved more than seven federal agencies, including the Secret Service and the Federal Aviation Administration. Between 20 and 30 trucks of equipment have been screened daily, along with hundreds of workers helping construct this venue. The filing says that well over $60 million has already been spent, and that tens of thousands of hours of labor have gone into making this event possible. Organizers say those costs have been covered by the UFC and affiliated groups, but still, the spectacle has sparked controversy. Supporters described the fight as a uniquely American celebration, blending patriotism, pageantry and one of the country's fastest growing sports. Either way, by Sunday night, the white House will host something no previous administration has attempted a UFC fight under the gaze of the executive mansion. Turning one of the nation's most enduring symbols of political power into the backdrop for a championship style sporting spectacle. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/11/white-house-ufc-event-cost/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/11/white-house-ufc-event-cost/"},"headline":"The White House UFC Event Is Costing $60 Million","datePublished":"2026-06-11T19:32:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-06-11T20:59:17.000Z","description":"The event, which will take place on the White House grounds this weekend, has sparked widespread controversy.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/11/white-house-ufc-event-cost/","keywords":["White House","UFC","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte890ac113673e9ea/6a2b072dcf57621a7db5226b/White-House-UFC-Price.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chantelle Lee","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte890ac113673e9ea/6a2b072dcf57621a7db5226b/White-House-UFC-Price.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"White-House-UFC-Price.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/11/white-house-ufc-event-cost/","name":"The White House UFC Event Is Costing $60 Million"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Inside the Massive Arena Constructed for the UFC’s White House Cage Match","description":"The event, which will take place on the White House grounds this weekend, has sparked widespread controversy.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/AMPLXymq/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2026-06-12T16:36:59.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/AMPLXymq.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/11/white-house-ufc-event-cost/","duration":"PT1M26S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/11/white-house-ufc-event-cost/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```