President Donald Trump has floated the idea of permanently retaining the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) arena currently being constructed on the White House South Lawn. In a video posted on his official TikTok account on Tuesday, Trump compared the structure to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which was originally intended as a temporary installation for the 1889 World's Fair but never dismantled.
“People don’t know that in Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower, 1889 it was built. It was supposed to be taken down immediately after the world’s fair, and then they said, ‘You know we sort of like it, let’s leave it up a little bit longer’, and then they said, ‘Let’s leave it up longer and longer and longer,’” Trump said. “Well, they never took it down, and you know we’re building something in front of the White House that’s quite attractive to a lot of people. It’s going to have the big UFC fight on 14 June, and I’m looking at it and maybe we’ll never ever take it down.”
The 90-foot steel arches, dubbed “The Claw,” feature dozens of cameras and overlaying patterns of the American flag. The octagonal ring will host seven fights on 14 June, marking Trump’s 80th birthday and the 250th anniversary of US independence. The UFC is covering construction costs; Mark Shapiro, president of TKO Group Holdings, said the event will likely cost at least $60 million and will not turn a profit. UFC president Dana White added that the organisation will spend an estimated $700,000 to restore the grass on the South Lawn after the event.
The arena will accommodate 4,500 spectators, mostly military members, with no public tickets available. An additional 75,000 to 100,000 people can watch from the Ellipse near the White House. The Freedom 250 card, which has received a lukewarm reception from fighters and fans, features two title fights: Ilia Topuria v Justin Gaethje for the lightweight belt and Alex Pereira v Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title.
The Eiffel Tower, constructed for the 1889 World's Fair, was only intended to stand for 20 years before its architect Gustave Eiffel campaigned to keep it as a permanent monument. Trump’s suggestion echoes that history, as the UFC arena joins other recent White House renovations, including gold details in the Oval Office, paving over a patch of the Rose Garden, and razing the East Wing to build a ballroom.
