A federal lawsuit has been lodged to halt a UFC fight card scheduled on the White House South Lawn, planned as part of President Donald Trump‘s 80th birthday celebrations and the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The Public Integrity Project, representing two Virginia residents, filed the lawsuit on Saturday, alleging that the Trump administration’s approval of the event scheduled on June 14 violates National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, reported POLITICO.
The plaintiffs further contend that Congress never authorized the towering arch overlooking the event venue and that the project proceeded without an environmental review.
“This is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain,” plaintiffs’ lawyer, Brendan Ballou, stated.
White House did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments.
The event, known as the Freedom 250, is expected to cost UFC owner TKO Group Holdings (NYSE:TKO) $30 million. While some retail investors may question the multimillion-dollar expense, Wall Street analysts view it as a strategic investment.
Bernstein analyst Ian Moore told Benzinga the high-profile move aligns with TKO’s long-term growth plans, arguing that the company’s strong monetization capabilities allow it to absorb the cost in exchange for greater mainstream exposure. Moore maintains an “Outperform” rating on the stock and a $240 price target.
While the UFC fight is anticipated to draw significant attention and TV viewers, it faces competition from a rival outfit, Most Valuable Promotions, co-founded by Jake Paul, that set an MMA viewership record of an average of 12.4 million on Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), and an average viewership of 9.3 million in the U.S. a month before the Trump birthday event.
Trump, meanwhile, has suggested that the UFC arena planned for the White House South Lawn could remain in place permanently, comparing it to Paris’ Eiffel Tower. Drawing a parallel to the 1889 Paris World’s Fair, Trump noted that the Eiffel Tower was initially intended as a temporary structure but was ultimately preserved after becoming a popular public attraction.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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