WASHINGTON — By the time Justin Gaethje finished off his bloodied opponent and celebrated his championship victory with a backflip off the top of the wire-mesh cage — then shook hands with President Donald Trump and even exchanged a fist bump with Melania — the head of the UFC had already made up his mind about one thing.
The White House will not be hosting another UFC event.
“It was an amazing experience, this was a one-of-one,” UFC CEO Dana White told reporters. “It will never happen again.”
That’s not because the event, called Freedom 250 — staged to mark Trump’s 80th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence — fell short of expectations. White was quick to boast about merchandise sales, streaming subscriptions, and hitting every performance benchmark the organization tracks, all shared at a press conference that ran well into the early morning hours.
The setting itself was nearly impossible to beat. Fighters treated their pre-fight walkouts like a guided tour, making their way through the West Wing, past the Oval Office, by presidential portraits, through the Roosevelt Room and the Cabinet Room. Winners even got a personal meeting with the president.
Gaethje paused to look at the copy of the Declaration of Independence displayed in the Oval Office and said a prayer before making the unusually long walk to the cage. He then dominated Spanish-Georgian fighter Ilia Topuria in the main event to claim the UFC lightweight title.
“Usually, I kind of blank out when it comes to getting ready to walk to the cage,” Gaethje said. “It was pretty crazy, looking at the Declaration of Independence. The original one. Their language was different. I’m not smart enough to read that.”
Gaethje also walked away with $825,000 in bonus money after earning both “Performance of the Night” and “Fight of the Night” honors.
Trump remained at the event through all seven bouts and appeared genuinely engaged throughout the night — at one point sporting a white “USA” baseball cap — and was all smiles each time a victorious fighter came over for a handshake.
Trump later took to Truth Social to declare the evening was “PERFECT!”
“Most people have never seen anything like that kind of human speed and power before,” Trump wrote. “The White House has never looked more beautiful. The setting was unsurpassed!”
The night wasn’t entirely without issues. UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland was escorted away from the Ellipse watch party — where thousands of fans had gathered — by police officers. Heavyweight Josh Hokit went further, making an extraordinary and baseless attack rooted in a right-wing conspiracy theory targeting former first lady Michelle Obama.
Despite those moments, the event delivered on its patriotic promise. The Marine Band performed, tributes were paid to first responders, active military members, and other honorees. Gaethje and Ciryl Gane were both crowned champions inside a blood-stained octagonal cage set up outdoors on the White House South Lawn.
“Hopefully tonight created some unity,” White said. “Even for the people that thought this was going to be some big political statement or something, this wasn’t. This was Americans, all Americans celebrating the birthday. For people who tuned in for the first time, because it was at the White House, hopefully they liked the sport. They liked some of the guy’s stories.”
White hopes the event may have attracted some new UFC fans — and they’ll have plenty to watch. International Fight Week is approaching, with UFC 329 set to mark the return of the promotion’s biggest draw, Conor McGregor, after a five-year absence. That event will take place in a traditional arena on UFC’s home turf in Las Vegas.
As for Washington, D.C.? White is firm: it’s a one-time deal. Dealing with unpredictable outdoor weather, the complex logistics of building a cage at a federal landmark, and the staggering price tag — UFC said it covered the $60 million cost itself — made Freedom 250 a singular occasion.
“I can’t afford it,” White said. “I’ll never do the Sphere again and we’ll never do this again.”
