The wait is almost over, as UFC Freedom 250 arrives at the White House in Washington, D.C. this Sunday.
Since it was first announced last year, the first-ever professional sporting event at the U.S. capitol has been both hotly anticipated and highly controversial. Much has been written, and much will continue to be written, about the one-of-a-kind event. Call it sportswashing, call it spectacle, call it entertainment on the government dime (though the UFC is footing the bill, to a reported cost of $60 million).
None of that will matter to fight fans come Sunday, nor will it matter to the fighters themselves. Somehow, despite the very obvious political overtones, the show still represents the pinnacle of MMA. Yes, Dana White is buddy-buddy with American President Donald Trump, the only reason the show is happening (on his birthday, no less). But it’s not as if PowerSlap or the XFL or WWE wrestling is being held on the White House lawn.
If the UFC wasn’t the juggernaut it is, if it didn’t capture the interest of the sporting world the way it has over the past decade plus, the octagon simply wouldn’t be sitting in front of America’s most famous building.
Ahead of UFC Freedom 250, a rare Sunday show, the stars of the card will appear at one final press conference. That arrives Friday; catch the likes of Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje, Alex Pereira, Ciryl Gane and more above. Expected start time is 8:15PM ET, 5:15PM PT.
