Sunday’s event is back on track, and fans have reason to be excited.
The Octagon has arrived in Washington, D.C., for the highly anticipated UFC Freedom 250 card at the White House.
Ilia Topuria, Alex Pereira, Sean O’Malley and more star fighters will make the walk on the venue’s south lawn, helping celebrate 250 years of American independence.
While many are excited for the stacked card, not everyone is thrilled to see fights taking place outside the White House. In fact, some opponents even took their complaints to court.
UFC Freedom 250 cleared to proceed after lawsuit dismissed
As UFC Freedom 250 fight week got started in the nation’s capital, two Virginia residents filed a lawsuit to try to halt the event. Their concerns centred around White House access and the financial interests of those backing the card.
Paul Romano, a Vietnam veteran, and Susan Douglas, described as “a longtime civic activist and organiser,” asked a judge to stop the event from going ahead.
The suit called the White House lawn event “deeply corrupt,” pointing in part to Dana White’s connections with U.S. President Donald Trump. The complaint alleged that Trump was providing his friend’s company “unfettered access to the White House and Lincoln Memorial to stage a private, for-profit sports event, with all the promotional and branding opportunities that accompany such access.”
But on Friday, US District Judge Amit P. Mehta sided against Romano and Douglas, meaning Dana White could focus on final preparations without further legal distractions.
The ruling stated that neither plaintiff had legal standing to challenge UFC Freedom 250. Additionally, Mehta supported the government’s argument that cancelling at this late stage would unfairly impact those involved.
The court noted not only substantial costs but also damages incurred by federal agencies like $9 million for Capitol Police overtime and another $8 million spent by Secret Service planning for an open-air Octagon across from Lafayette Square.
How Dana White responded to the legal challenge ahead of UFC Freedom 250
Friday’s decision probably didn’t catch the UFC president off guard.
White, when first addressing the lawsuit publicly, seemed largely unconcerned. He pointed out that the organisation had seen it coming and had taken steps to be ready for it.
“Yeah, we were expecting a lawsuit,” White told reporters on Tuesday.
“I mean, we expected everything coming into this event; we expected the lawsuit, we thought it would be sooner.
“We knew it was gonna come, we didn’t know who or how, but we knew it was coming,” he added.
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