Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday and the US semiquincentennial by hosting the first professional sporting event in White House history on the South Lawn. The UFC fight night, organised with CEO Dana White, featured a military colour guard, a combined flyover by the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds, and a B-1 bomber flyover. Despite forecasts of thunderstorms, the outdoor event proceeded without rain, ending after 1am on Monday.
The main event saw Justin Gaethje rally from near-defeat to stop previously unbeaten Ilia Topuria in the fourth round, claiming the undisputed lightweight championship. Gaethje, a heavy underdog, said afterwards: 'I’m from America. Two hundred and fifty years ago, we were way bigger than six-to-one underdogs, and look at this country now.' The seven-fight card ended all bouts by knockout or technical knockout, a first in UFC history.
The guest list included Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg, the Winklevoss twins, cabinet officials, and foreign dignitaries. However, the event was marred by a post-fight interview in which heavyweight Josh Hokit falsely claimed that 'Michelle Obama is a man,' drawing cheers from some sections of the crowd. Hokit had earlier presented Trump with a necklace after stopping Derrick Lewis.
Other political moments included chants of 'U-S-A!' and shouts of 'Canada is the 51st state!' during a bout between American Sean O’Malley and Canada’s Aiemann Zahabi. O’Malley won by second-round TKO, the first American victory over a foreign opponent on the card. The night also featured a recruitment advertisement from the newly renamed Department of War.
