The Pentagon is reportedly recruiting service members to sit in the crowd for President Donald Trump’s birthday UFC fight on the White House lawn, requiring that the troops pay their way at the event — and meet exacting physical fitness requirements.
Air Force troops considering taking up the offer were told they must meet the “CURRENT WAIST-HEIGHT RATIO and current physical fitness standard,” according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post.
The effort has reportedly focused on getting service members from across the different branches of the military, pulled from the junior enlisted and officer corps.
Troops will be required to wear their short-sleeve dress uniforms, sources told the paper.
The Pentagon declined to comment.
The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
Visible construction at the White House kicked into high gear this week for the June 14 bout, which is part of the American 250th anniversary celebrations in Washington.
A massive temporary arena, complete with a superstructure that towers above the White House, is being erected on the South Lawn.
The president has attended numerous UFC events, and UFC boss Dana White is a close ally of the Republican.
Outside of being in the military, being a friend of Trump — or high-dollar sponsor of the fight — is reportedly one of the few ways to guarantee a ticket to the event, which will feature a crowd of about 4,000 people.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has made a point of emphasizing the physical fitness of US troops.
During a highly unusual 2025 event, in which Defense Secretary Hegseth called hundreds of top US military leaders to Virginia on short notice, Hegseth railed against “fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon” and announced a set of new fitness requirements across the armed forces.
Later that year, Hegseth, who is often photographed doing fitness training with the troops, complained that many Americans are “too dumb” or “too fat” to serve in the military.
“I know it’s not easy on the basic ingredients on recruiting,” Hegseth told a gathering of top recruiters. “Too many of our young people are too fat or too dumb — not dumb, that’s wrong. You know, we’re just not educating them properly or they’ve got criminal records, or ADHD, or all these other things.”
