Rules were seemingly bent, money changed hands, noses were broken, and at the end, the world was left scratching their eyes at what on earth was taking place in the White House. After eight years of bonkers and often scarcely believable stunts from Donald Trump, staging an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on the lawn of the White House, just a stone's throw from the Oval Office, is perhaps his most ludicrous move yet.
This event had everything during three hours of madness, punctuated by the occasional fight and transphobic rant.
Trump's Entrance
Things got off to a surreal start with Trump's arrival at his birthday event, with the President being shown wandering out of the White House alongside fight organiser Dana White. Deeply awkward footage, streamed to the millions viewing at home as well as those attending the event, showed the pair trudging slowly through the doors of the Oval Office in total silence with the darting eyes of a pair of schoolboys off to see the headmaster.
While Trump at least somewhat looked the part in a blue suit, UFC boss Dana appeared to have received three different dress codes for the event and attempted to follow them all. The 56-year-old rocked up in an ill-fitting jacket and shirt, a pair of khaki trousers so ludicrously tight he could hardly bend his knees, and the sort of trainers only a divorced dad could get their hands on. As one user on X put it: "Dude looking like he's walking down the elementary school hallway to get his picture taken."
Sleepy Trump
UFC Freedom 250 saw its fair share of knockouts, but it was not just the losing fighters that were seemingly put to sleep by the events inside The Octagon. Many online were convinced they saw Donald Trump having a little snooze during his birthday event, with pictures and videos circulating of the President's eyes seemingly drooping and head bobbing around. As one social media commentator put it: "The mouth droop says everything. This man got knocked out by bedtime," while another simply added "Sleepy Don." Trump's supporters were keen to defend him, arguing that the 80-year-old was simply looking at a monitor.
Michelle Obama Conspiracy
To the surprise of very few, the birthday bash took an even more sour turn after one American fighter decided to use the platform to spew a racist and transphobic conspiracy theory that former First Lady Michelle Obama is a man. Josh Hokit used his victory interview with pundit Joe Rogan to tell the crowd: "Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?" prompting a smattering of laughs and cheers from the crowd. Joe Rogan failed to challenge or even address the baseless claim and instead just said: "Ladies and gentlemen, Josh Hokit."
Fighter Thrown Out
Despite being reportedly banned from the event, controversial American fighter Sean Strickland still made a brief appearance at the White House before being thrown out by security services. Strickland had previously claimed to be barred from the fight card, Friday's press conference at the Lincoln Memorial, and Saturday's weigh-in at the Ellipse. However, the 35-year-old was still pictured walking through a fan festival on Saturday. The fighter, who claimed the ban was due to "making fun of Israel and Epstein" — something the UFC denied — later posted a clip of him sitting in what seemed to be a police car, saying: "I'm pretty sure I didn't break a law, like I'm pretty sure. But we might be going to jail, but I'm pretty sure we didn't break no laws." The United States Park Police Public Information Office wrote in a statement: "The unplanned presence of Sean Strickland drew significant attention from attendees, resulting in disorder."
Tyson Fury
British boxer Tyson Fury was in attendance at the event, and the big man had some big news. Fury, who sported a tasteful "Donald Trump for Prime Minister" cap, told reporters that there was going to be a "massive announcement," although unfortunately the heavyweight was not able to let anyone know exactly what this was. He said: "I think I'm going to let Dana do the speaking, but it is a massive, massive announcement." The 37-year-old did shed some light on his upcoming bout with fellow Brit Anthony Joshua, saying: "I'm very excited for this fight. It's been over a decade in the making. For whatever reason it hasn't happened before. Let's hope it happens right now, very soon."
