US President Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday Sunday night with a cage-fighting event on the White House’s historic South Lawn.
The event, costing more than $60 million (€52 million), featured seven mixed martial arts bouts inside a specially built arena dubbed “The Claw.”
Trump was joined by about 4,000 spectators to watch stars from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) league kick, punch and wrestle their way to victory inside a wire-mesh octagon cage.
Among the spectators were Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Paramount CEO David Ellison and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, a noted fan of mixed martial arts (MMA), who was seen chatting with Trump for several minutes between matches.
Top Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, FBI Director Kash Patel and House Speaker Mike Johnson, were also in attendance.
Thousands more watched the fights on a big screen from the nearby Ellipse park.
The event, named “UFC Freedom 250,” was linked to this year’s broader festivities marking the 250th anniversary of US independence.
Critics have derided the extravaganza, calling it inappropriate at a time when the war with Iran, now in its fourth month, has pushed up the cost of living for ordinary people.
The event coincided with announcements from the US and Iran that a tentative peace deal had been reached, which is due to be signed within days.
Opponents also launched a legal challenge to block the fights, arguing that Trump had exceeded his authority by allowing his longtime friend, UFC President Dana White to use White House grounds to promote a private, profit-making sporting event. However, a federal judge rejected the bid.
The president said the UFC was covering the costs for the event, and the organization said it would not make a profit.
The first bout began at 8pm local time (0000 GMT Monday), and the event ran past midnight.
The main event saw Ciryl Gane of France defeat Alex Pereira of Brazil to take the interim UFC heavyweight title. Later, American Justin Gaethje defended his lightweight title against Spanish-Georgian Ilia Topuria.
In a dramatic touch, some of the top fighters emerged from the Oval Office before walking through the Rose Garden or West Wing colonnade into the arena.
The event also featured military bands, a US military flyover, a parachute display and a 10-minute fireworks finale.
The night’s program was also reported to have affected scheduling around the Group of Seven summit, set to begin Monday, though details of any changes were not fully specified.
