Sunday is set up for the gladiator’s sport, also known as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) thrill, as the ‘UFC Freedom 250’ coincides with US President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
The $60 million ‘UFC Freedom 250’ event will be held at the White House in front of the president and an estimated 4,000 – 5,000 spectators watching 14 UFC contestants live battle it out in the giant caged arena known as ‘The Claw’, erected on the South Lawn.
The venue, which has a history of presidential displays, will host what Trump has described as the largest gathering ever held there, as Americans are commemorating their 250th anniversary of independence in manly style, coinciding with Trump’s birthday. 
It comes following the Trump administration’s contentious lawsuit for ‘improper use of public land to enrich the president’s allies’. Million dollar-packages and commercial sponsorships have been cites as unprecedented and unconventional by the lawsuits. The administration fought it, claiming that it is simple to deconstruct the arena immediately following the competition and that it will do so other than the opposed stance that it could remain a permanent fixture. In the same location, President Bill Clinton hosted the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993, while Richard Nixon bid farewell.
Trump’s critics say it reflects badly on the US war with Iran, souring the cost of living for ordinary Americans, but he insists all costs are borne by the UFC. They also accuse Trump’s administration of treading on a desperate appeal among his supporters.
The president, a fan of the sport, is all up for the bare-knuckled fighters, telling the New York Post that “they’re the roughest people you’ll ever meet”.
“If you haven’t seen it much, you’re not going to believe it.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also in support, has drawn a partnership agreement deal with UFC boss Dana White to promote mixed martial arts internationally for the attraction of “probably a billion people all over the world”.
“That’s what Sunday is about; it’s a gift to the American people,” Rubio is quoted as saying, as the event promises to be unlike anything before in the White House’s 200-year history.
Dana White stated that, aside from those in the arena, half will go to members of the US military, with another 125,000 watching on a giant screen on the Ellipse outside the White House.
Reporters at the tour of the arena said it weighs 600 tonnes, standing 47 metres wide and 92 feet tall, taller than the White House itself.
