The UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House features seven fights within an eight-sided, wire-mesh cage, marking President Donald Trump's 80th birthday celebration. The event also coincides with the completion of a deal between the U.S. and Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for oil traffic.
The arena for the UFC Freedom 250 fights is pictured on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, Saturday, June 13, 2026. President Donald Trump has confirmed a deal with Iran that he said would allow oil traffic to begin again through the Strait of Hormuz.
The announcement, made on social media, came just a couple of hours before the president was slated to celebrate his 80th birthday and the nation's 250th anniversary with an unusual White House event: a UFC show featuring seven fights within an eight-sided, wire-mesh cage. UFC posted on social media that severe weather was expected Sunday night and fans should plan accordingly. The show will go on rain or shine, according to UFC CEO Dana White.
Strong thunderstorms and heavy lightning disrupted Friday's Lincoln Memorial promotional event, and the forecast for Sunday evening also looks threatening. Sunday's event includes a watch party on the Ellipse, the expansive lawn area located between the White House and Washington Monument.
In addition to the massive video screens, there are various military-themed vehicles on display, as well as concession stands and free water that fans were lining up for under the afternoon sun. The area is heavily secured from the outside, and there's law enforcement presence inside as well, but as of 5 p.m. there was little sign of any unruliness.
Trump says 'the Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete' and says the Strait of Hormuz will open immediately.
'Congratulations to all! ' he wrote Sunday on his social media site. 'I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. ' Trump's post came hours before a UFC event at the White House marking his 80th birthday.
Pakistan says the United States and Iran have reached an agreement to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, offering relief to the global economy more than three months since the war began. Full details of the deal were not immediately available. The signing will be Friday in Switzerland. It is not clear how quickly the strait might reopen to all traffic.
The U.S. previously said it would ease its blockade of Iranian ports as the strait reopens, and would agree to relax sanctions to allow Iran to sell more of its oil and strengthen its battered economy. A muggy and very hot afternoon in Washington was forecast to give way to thunderstorms shortly after the evening fights in honor of Trump's 80th birthday are set to begin.
But he's also conceded, 'I'm sick and tired of hearing about the weather' and said his league is sticking to indoor arenas going forward. After the Weather Channel warned of a '60% chance of thunderstorms, heavy downpours, and wind gusts up to 34 mph,' the Rapid Response 47 account dismissed the post as the work of a 'friendless loser' and added an expletive for emphasis.
The Freedom 250 card marks the pinnacle of the relationship between UFC CEO Dana White and Trump, which has yielded personal, political, and financial dividends for both parties. White's first card as UFC president took place in 2001 at an event held at the Trump Taj Mahal casino. Trump has attended four UFC cards as sitting president, walking to the cage amid rock music and patriotic chants from fans, much like the fighters themselves.
White introduced Trump at two Republican National Conventions. White also attended the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in April that was cut short by a shooting. The UFC event is an apt metaphor for Trump's pugilistic political style. He is as big a fan of cage-match-style politics as he is of cage-fighting itself.
But Trump has also long been a master of political misdirection, purposely presenting people with something other than his presidency to focus on when things aren't going well. With the war in Iran grinding on despite weeks of assurances from Trump that its end is nigh, gas prices staying high, renewed concerns about inflation, and plummeting job approval ratings for Trump — a White House birthday party unlike anything America has ever seen is definitely a diversion
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