Media from around the world took a tour on Thursday (June 11) of the UFC's 'Octagon' arena built on the South Lawn of the White House ahead of the UFC Freedom 250 fights on Sunday.

The seven-bout Ultimate Fighting Championship event, dubbed "UFC Freedom 250," will blend sport with political spectacle, highlighting President Donald Trump's long-standing ties to a league whose leaders and many of its fans have backed him ‌for more than a decade.

Trump's alliance with UFC dates to the early 2000s, when he agreed to host events at his since-bankrupt Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as other venues spurned the sport.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found just 16% of Americans said it was appropriate for Trump to hold the Ultimate Fighting Championship event, scheduled for his 80th birthday, while 46% said it was inappropriate and ⁠the rest didn't offer an opinion.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (JUNE 11, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VIEW OF WHITE HOUSE SEEN THROUGH THE UFC SETUP ON THE SOUTH LAWN/ZOOM IN TO WHITE HOUSE

2. SIGN THAT READS 'UFC FREEDOM 250'

3. PAN OF UFC SETUP

4. MORE OF UFC SETUP

5. SIGN THAT READS 'UFC FREEDOM 250'

6. DISTANT VIEW OF THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT

7. VIEW OF THE RING SEEN THROUGH ENCLOSURE

8. TILT DOWN FROM ROOF TO RING, WHITE HOUSE SEEN IN THE BACKGROUND

9. MORE RING

10. JOURNALISTS/PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THE SEATS

11. TILT DOWN FROM ROOF TO VIEW OF WHITE HOUSE AND SEATS

12. A GIANT UFC 250 LOGO

13. VIEW OF LOGO AND WASHINGTON MONUMENT IN THE DISTANCE