Construction begins at WH for ‘UFC Freedom 250’
OAN Staff Sophia Flores
3:00 PM – Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Construction is officially underway on a temporary octagon on the White House grounds in preparation for the upcoming “UFC Freedom 250” event taking place on June 14th.
Construction of “The Claw” began on the South Lawn on Monday ahead of its Flag Day assembly, which falls on the same day as President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
The ring structure was built in Pennsylvania before being transported to the White House. The South Lawn is expected to accommodate up to 5,000 attendees for the upcoming event, while overflow crowds will be able to watch the fight on jumbo screens set up on the Ellipse, the large lawn just south of the White House.
The lightweight championship will be headlined by titleholder Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje, while the interim heavyweight title fight will feature former two-division champion Alex Pereira against Ciryl Gane of France.
The fight card will be available to stream on Paramount+.
Leading up to the action, a week-long schedule of pre-fight press conferences and ceremonial weigh-ins will take place at the Lincoln Memorial, where up to 85,000 fans will be able to attend the “UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest” — free of charge.
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