There’s a late push to block UFC Freedom 250 from going ahead.
The event is set to take place on June 14, with Dana White taking the promotion to the White House. There’s already been plenty of backlash. Now a new lawsuit has been filed against the event, aiming to stop it altogether.
This latest legal action is just the newest addition in a series of attempts to halt the event. And it’s adding more pressure on White as he tries to keep plans for June 14 intact.
With Trump appearing at UFC events and even walking out with Jorge Masvidal at UFC 299, it was clear there were strong ties between Dana and Trump. But this move shows how close they actually are.
By tying an entire fight card around a rally at the White House and holding it just before an election, there are certainly risks involved for Dana in this decision.
Legal challenge puts UFC White House event in doubt
A lawsuit was filed on Sunday by Paul Romano, a Vietnam veteran, and Susan Douglas, a well-known civic organiser.
They allege that the event is “deeply corrupt”, citing the President’s decision to grant Dana White and the UFC unrestricted access to the White House and the Lincoln Memorial for a private, for-profit sporting event.
“The President arranged to hand two of America’s most cherished monuments to a private corporation so he and his allies could profit from them. That is corruption,” said Douglas in a statement released by the Public Integrity Project, which is supporting the lawsuit.
“These monuments belong to all of us Americans, not to Dana White, not to advertisers like Crypto.com, and not to Donald Trump. We’re asking the court to enforce the law because the administration refuses to.”
The full complaint can be found here. And you can read the Public Integrity Project press release here.
Tickets for UFC Freedom 250 aren’t being sold publicly. However, it’s been reported that select individuals have been offered access through a $1.5 million package that includes both this event and UFC 329.
Despite this offer, Dana White has said he expects staging this event at the White House will result in an eight-figure loss for the promotion.
Confirmed bouts for UFC Freedom 250 at the White House
If the legal challenge doesn’t stop it, there are seven fights lined up for the event. The official card was finalised on Saturday night, and you can see the full line-up below:
- Lightweight title unification: Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje
- Interim heavyweight title: Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane
- Bantamweight: Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi
- Heavyweight: Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis
- Lightweight: Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler
- Middleweight: Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus
- Featherweight: Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
