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Cage fights at the White House: What to know as Trump hosts UFC

Bernd Debusmann JrWhite House reporter
Watch a tour of the arena outside the White House

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is heading to the White House on Sunday, becoming the first ever professional sporting event staged at the US presidential residence.

About 4,300 people are expected at the invite-only mixed martial arts event on the South Lawn, with another 85,000 expected at a nearby fan zone.

A lawsuit failed to halt the event, but hot weather and thunderstorms forecast to sweep across the city on Sunday could dampen the spectacle.

The event coincides with President Donald Trump's 80th birthday, which is also Flag Day, and is part of celebrations for America's 250th anniversary.

The seven-bout card was arranged between Trump and his longstanding friend Dana White, UFC president.

The UFC spent about $60m (£45m) on the event, including $700,000 for grass repairs afterwards on a lawn that hosts the annual Easter Egg Roll.

The centrepiece is the "Claw" - a 92ft high metal structure that looms over the octagon and many of the seats. It weighs 600 tonnes.

Side-by-side aerial images of the White House and its grounds. The left image shows the White House residence and an open, grassy South Lawn with a fountain in the foreground. The right image shows the same view transformed with a temporary UFC arena structure, including a large stage, seating, and an arched canopy labelled “The Claw”, set up directly on the lawn in front of the White House.

'Greatest show on Earth', Trump says

A total of 14 fighters will compete in back-to-back fights, ending with the main card between Georgian-Spanish lightweight Ilia Topuria and American Justin Gaethje.

The action begins at 20:00 EDT (midnight GMT). It will be screened exclusively on Paramount+, which is run by Trump ally David Ellison. Last year, UFC signed a $7.7bn deal with the Netflix rival streaming service.

The ultimate winner may be UFC - making it to the White House is a fist-pumping brand boost for a sport that was once shunned by sponsors and venues and denounced as "human cockfighting" by a US senator.

Administration officials - including Trump - have repeatedly praised the event, with the president referring to it as "the greatest show on Earth" and comparing the Claw to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week lauded the UFC as the "definition of American soft diplomatic power" and announced the launch of a private-public partnership to use the UFC as a diplomatic tool.

Getty Images Three men pose for the camera - the two on the left are dressed in stars and stripes, while the man on the right smiles in a UFC Freedom 250 T-shirtGetty Images
Fans attended a UFC festival in central Washington DC on Saturday
Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Two fighters holding UFC belts standing beside others in front of the Lincoln MemorialZuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ilia Topuria (left) and Justin Gaethje (right) posed at the Lincoln Memorial on Friday
Anadolu via Getty Images Two fighters - one with pink and blue hair wearing a pink suit and another wearing a pinstripe suit - bumping fists in front of the Lincoln MemorialAnadolu via Getty Images
Fighters Sean O'Malley and Aiemann Zahabi at the Lincoln Memorial

Lawsuit sought to get the fight cancelled

Just days before the fight, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of two Virginia residents - a Vietnam veteran and a local civic activist - to try halt the event.

The legal action, filed by the Public Integrity Project, a self-described anti-corruption law firm in Washington, argued the event was "deeply corrupt".

It cited a lack of approvals for the weigh-in at the nearby Lincoln Memorial and President Trump's close personal and financial ties with Dana White and the UFC.

But on Friday, a judge denied an emergency injunction to stop the fight - a ruling welcomed by the White House, which described the lawsuit as "frivolous".

Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Trump and Dana White standing beside each other and smiling in front of a crowdZuffa LLC via Getty Images
President Trump poses with UFC boss Dana White at a UFC event in Florida

Americans aren't thrilled about UFC fight

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday, however, suggested many Americans were sceptical of the event.

The survey found that only 16% of Americans believed it appropriate to hold the UFC fight at the White House, compared to 46% who thought it inappropriate.

Only about a third of Republicans approved of the plan.

The UFC fight is one of several marquee events planned to mark the 250th anniversary of the country, which will also include an IndyCar race around the National Mall later this summer and a "Great American State Fair" in July.

Weather could cast a cloud on fight

The weather could cause delays during the event on Sunday, with thunderstorms forecast in Washington DC.

It's going to be a hot and humid day on Sunday in the nation's capital, with mid-afternoon temperatures peaking at around 91F (33C), according to forecasts.

As the heat and humidity builds, scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop through Sunday afternoon and into the evening, with the risk of lightning, downpours and wind gusts of over 50mph (80km).

The summer humidity in Washington often attracts an unpleasant number of insects.

A news conference for the event at the Lincoln Memorial on Friday was briefly delayed over "inclement weather" and fans were urged to seek shelter.

Aerial satellite image of central Washington DC centred on the White House and surrounding grounds. The White House residence is labelled near the top centre, with the South Lawn directly below it highlighted by a white circle and annotation indicating space for 4,300 people. Further south, the large oval-shaped Ellipse is outlined and labelled as accommodating up to 85,000 people watching on big screens.