A temporary, octagon-shaped cage is currently being erected on the South Lawn of the White House, ahead of a historic night of UFC action next month.
This unusual construction project is set to mark both the nation’s 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
Online renderings reveal the planned appearance of the wire-mesh-fenced fight space ahead of the 14 June event.
It will be encircled by a red, white, and blue stage, beneath a towering arch adorned with stars and stripes, flanked by two large screens broadcasting the action live.
Thousands of temporary seats will surround the cage and stage, including a ringside area designated for a marching band, poised to provide a blaring musical backdrop.
This spectacle forms part of a series of events commemorating the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence’s signing on 4 July 1776. Other planned festivities include an IndyCar race passing by the White House and the Great American State Fair on the National Mall.
President Trump has stated that the completed UFC project will feature “a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House.”
Additional large screens will be set up in a park at the nearby Ellipse to broadcast the fights, with the UFC planning to issue up to 85,000 free tickets to accommodate spectators across both locations.
“I have never seen anybody want anything so much as people want those tickets,” Trump recently remarked on the demand, adding, “That’s gonna be something.”
Despite the grand setting, the fight card itself has been criticized by fans online as underwhelming due to it only two championship bouts. Brazil’s Alex Pereira is scheduled to face France’s Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight title, followed by Spanish-Georgian lightweight champion Ilia Topuria against interim champ Justin Gaethje.
Gaethje is one of just two Americans currently holding a share of the UFC’s 11 championship belts.
The octagon and its surrounding structures represent the latest in a series of White House building projects initiated under President Trump. His other efforts to leave a personal imprint include redesigning part of the Rose Garden to create a patio area reminiscent of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
He has also affixed partisan plaques to the colonnade wall for a “Presidential Walk of Fame”, renovated the bathroom attached to the Lincoln Bedroom, and refurbished the Palm Room. Further plans involve installing new flagpoles on the north and south lawns and demolishing the entire East Wing to make way for a sprawling ballroom.
The president also intends to repaint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House and construct a 250-foot arch at the nearby Lincoln Memorial.
Organizers of the upcoming UFC fight have indicated that weigh-ins for the event are scheduled to take place at this very monument.
