(AFP) – An Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fight planned at the White House will take place on Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, the president said, despite the much-hyped event being previously announced for July 4.
“On June 14 next year, we’re going to have a big UFC fight at the White House — right at the White House, on the grounds of the White House,” Trump told a crowd of Navy sailors at the huge naval base Norfolk in Virginia. He did not mention that June 14 is his birthday or that next year will be his 80th. On Trump’s 79th birthday this year, he held a military parade that was meant to commemorate the founding of the US Army.
In August, UFC boss Dana White said the mixed martial arts bout at the White House would be held on July 4 next year, the day the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding. Trump has been a regular guest at the often-bloody UFC contests, where fighters punch, kick and grapple with their opponent in a no-holds-barred battle to submission or knockout. Bringing the brutal combat sport to the center of US political power will mark a historic first.
At a press conference shared on UFC’s YouTube channel, White said that early next year “we’ll start looking at building the White House card, which I will right now tell you will be the greatest fight card ever assembled in the history of definitely this company.” Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest and most successful organization in the burgeoning world of MMA, a blend of martial arts disciplines like jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, boxing, and wrestling.
Bouts take place in an eight-sided ring — dubbed “The Octagon” — bounded by a chainlink fence. With few exceptions — such as eye-gouging — male and female fighters are allowed to employ almost any technique to attack their opponent. The sport’s popularity with young men — a key demographic in the 2024 US election — and Trump’s long association with the UFC have made the president a regular fixture at some of its more high-profile events, where he is greeted like a rock star.
Its brutal nature and high injury rate mean the sport is controversial, with doctors decrying the potential for brain damage amongst fighters who are repeatedly hit in the head, though it has gained increasing mainstream acceptance in recent years.
© 2024 AFP
