Lawsuit Looks to End Donald Trump’s ‘UFC Freedom 250’ Fight

Two Virginia residents filed a lawsuit Saturday in hopes of stopping President Donald Trump’s plans to stage a UFC fight on the White House South Lawn as part of celebrations for America’s 250th birthday.

The suit, which was judged by Varietywas filed against the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior. The suit highlights several conflicts of interest for the president and claims the “UFC Freedom 250” event will line the pockets of MAGA allies, such as Paramount-Skydance CEO David Ellison and UFC CEO Dana White, and Trump himself. It goes on to claim that Trump this year bought “up to $50,000 worth of stock in TKO, the owner of UFC.”

But the crux of the legal argument lies in the National Park Service’s customary permit regime, which, according to the lawsuit, stipulates that “no special event, including sporting events, may be held on the South Lawn or on the Lincoln Memorial. Nor may any structures be constructed on the South Lawn without express authorization from Congress and a thorough environmental review.”

The lawsuit does point out that there is a workaround to the permit regime, reserved for “special events planned, organized and conducted by executive departments and agencies or the Semiquincentennial Commission” to commemorate America’s 250th birthday. However, the suit argues that this is “a private, for-profit sporting event” planned by “the UFC, its broadcast partners and its advertisers,” and not the federal government.

“And it is not in any material sense a ‘celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence’ – it is instead a celebration of the UFC brand and the 80th anniversary of Donald Trump’s birth,” the lawsuit continues. “For these reasons, UFC Freedom 250 does not meet the strict conditions that must be met before special semicentennial events can take place on the South Lawn or at the Lincoln Memorial.”