President Donald Trump has confirmed a deal to end the war with Iran and allow oil traffic to begin again through the Strait of Hormuz.
The announcement on social media came just a couple of hours before the president was slated to celebrate his 80th birthday and the nation’s 250th anniversary with an unusual White House event: a UFC show featuring seven fights within an eight-sided, wire-mesh cage on the White House South Lawn.
UFC Freedom 250 is winding down after the headlining fight saw Justin Gaethje batter Spanish-Georgian lightweight champion Ilia Topuria for the UFC lightweight title. In the night’s other championship fight, Ciryl Gane beat Alex Pereira to take home the interim UFC heavyweight title.
The rest of the event saw knockouts by Diego Lopes against Steve Garcia; Bo Nickal against Kyle Daukaus; Mauricio Ruffy against Michael Chandler; Josh Hokit against Derrick Lewis; and Sean O’Malley against Aiemann Zahabi.
Here’s the latest:
Trump congratulates American Justin Gaethje after win
Trump congratulated American Justin Gaethje after his upset win to cap the UFC Freedom 250.
Gaethje stopped Spanish-Georgian lightweight champion Ilia Topuria after the fourth round in the event on the White House South Lawn.
Trump came into the Octagon after the fight to congratulate Gaethje, who had an American flag draped around his neck.
Gaethje provides a big American win to cap UFC Freedom 250
American Justin Gaethje stunned Spanish-Georgian lightweight champion Ilia Topuria to cap off the UFC Freedom 250.
With the fans chanting “USA! USA!” throughout the match on the White House lawn, Gaethje delivered an upset performance to win the title.
He landed a left-right combination that bloodied Topuria in the face in the third round. The doctors came out after Topuria said he couldn’t see. There was an extended break after the round but Topuria said he wanted to keep fighting even though the doctor initially seemed to signal that the fight should end.
Topuria’s corner then called for the fight to be stopped after the fourth round.
Cabinet Room, Roosevelt Room get cameos for the title fight
The broadcast of fight night has taken viewers on a bit of a tour of the White House, with fighters warming up in different storied rooms.
For the final bout, Ilia Topuria prepared in the Roosevelt Room, while Justin Gaethje warmed up in the Cabinet Room.
Each of them passed through the Oval Office before winding their way to the Octagon — with Gaethje appearing to briefly read the copy of the Declaration of Independence that Trump has added.
Gane beats Pereira to win the interim UFC heavyweight title
Ciryl Gane of France finished off Alex Pereira of Brazil in the second round to win the interim UFC heavyweight title.
Gane sent Pereira stumbling with a right jab followed by a hammer fist. The referee then stopped the fight 1:27 into the second round after a left to the chin.
Mixed results for Americans
It’s been a mixed result so far for the American fighters at the UFC Freedom 250.
After the U.S. fighters lost their first two bouts against international opponents at the event at the White House, Sean O’Malley delivered an impressive knockout of Canadian Aiemann Zahabi in their bantamweight fight.
Brazilian fighters went 2-0 against Americans with Diego Lopes knocking out Steve Garcia in a featherweight bout and Mauricio Ruffy knocking out Michael Chandler in a lightweight bout.
Hokit invokes conspiracy theory about Michelle Obama
Josh Hokit, after knocking out Derrick Lewis, thanked Trump, and “my lord and savior Jesus Christ” before veering into an unfounded right-wing conspiracy theory about a former first lady: “Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?”
Hokit also headed over to Trump and placed a chain around the president’s neck.
Sean O’Malley knocks out Aiemann Zahabi before saluting troops
Sean O’Malley knocked out Aiemann Zahabi in the second round of a bantamweight fight
O’Malley stunned Zahabi with a left and finished him off with a right 4:02 into the second round.
O’Malley then went over and shook hands with Trump and saluted the troops in the crowd.
Josh Hokit knocks out Derrick Lewis
Josh Hokit knocked out Derrick Lewis in the second round of a heavyweight fight.
Hokit was in control from the start and finished off Lewis with a combination round that sent him to the mat. The fight was called off by TKO 4:09 into the second round.
Hokit presented Trump with a necklace and shook his hand after the fight.
Hokit spent time on the practice squad of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers after competing in football and wrestling in college at Fresno State.
Comedian who insulted Puerto Rico during Trump’s campaign is a VIP
Tony Hinchcliffe was one of the VIPs at the event, smiling and waving for the broadcast.
Near the end of Trump’s 2024 run for a second term, Hinchcliffe caused an uproar at a Madison Square Garden rally when he called Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage.”
Trump’s campaign took the rare step of distancing itself from the comedian at the time, saying the joke didn’t reflect Trump’s views.
Ruffy proposes after beating Chandler
Brazilian Mauricio Ruffy got a knockout and followed it with a wedding proposal.
In the interview after his knockout of Michael Chandler, Ruffy proposed to his girlfriend, Nadine.
She gave a thumbs up.
Ruffy TKOs Chandler in first round
Brazilian Mauricio Ruffy knocked out American Michael Chandler in the first round of a middleweight fight.
Ruffy stunned Chandler with a kick and then finished him off by TKO 4:29 into the fight.
President Donald Trump pumped his first in approval after the knockout from his ringside seat.
Park Police says Strickland wasn’t arrested, advised not to return
U.S. Park Police said in a statement that UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland’s presence at the Ellipse drew enough attention from attendees that it resulted in disorder. He wasn’t cited or arrested, they said. Instead, he was taken to his hotel and told not to come back to the venue.
Earlier in the day, Strickland was escorted barefoot out of the White House Ellipse area, where thousands of ticketed fans congregated to watch the fights.
The law enforcement agency said Strickland’s removal from the site was due to concerns for his safety and the UFC fans. U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Park Police and other agencies were involved in escorting him out.
Sen. Graham, in the crowd at UFC, is skeptical about the Iran agreement
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham is a close ally of Trump and an Iran hawk. He expressed skepticism about the emerging deal, saying that Congress would need to review and vote on it, and said he expects Vice President JD Vance — “the architect of the deal” — to present it.
“I am somewhat concerned that Iran’s view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming,” Graham said on social media.
Nickal knocks out Daukaus and then chats with Trump
Bo Nickal knocked out Kyle Daukaus in the first round in a middleweight fight.
Nickal knocked Daukaus down with a right hook, and the referee quickly stopped the second fight of the event 4:34 into the opening round.
Nickal went right over to Trump after the win and talked briefly with the president. Nickal, a three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion at Penn State, has forged a friendly relationship with Trump after they met in 2019 at the White House during a ceremony for collegiate national champions.
UFC fighters walk out of White House with ‘heroes’
The fighters are getting impressive walkouts before each fight.
They leave the White House, one at a time, accompanied by two people described by the broadcast as “heroes.”
Bo Nickal and Kyle Daukaus were each joined by a Las Vegas police officer and a medal of honor recipient before the second fight.
Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia each walked out with two first responders before the first fight.
Lopes knocks out Garcia
Diego Lopes knocked out Steve Garcia in the second round of the first fight of the UFC Freedom 250.
Lopes connected with a left hook that knocked Garcia down and then finished him off before the referee stopped the fight.
UFC Freedom 250 at the White House begins
The UFC Freedom 250 event started with a featherweight fight between Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia.
Garcia walked out of the White House draped in an American flag and accompanied by two police officers. Lopez walked out the Mexican song “La Chona.”
Fans were chanting “USA! USA!” just before the start of the fight.
Trump arrives at the Octagon
The president and UFC chief Dana White walked together from the Oval Office to the Blue Room balcony, then stood for the national anthem as fighter jets streaked overhead.
Before the anthem began, the two men shared a moment on the balcony. Trump smiled as White pointed to the Octagon and “The Claw” on the White House’s South Lawn.
After the anthem, the crowd cheered and chanted “USA! USA!”
Trump and White then put on somber expressions as they walked the rest of the way to the cage where the UFC fights will take place.
Trump has a seat very close to the Octagon.
Weather watch
Clouds are getting darker but there’s still no significant rain at the Ellipse, where a live band was still playing for fans when the broadcast’s 8 p.m. start time arrived.
Earlier, a message appeared on the video screens warning about possible bad weather and telling the crowd to be prepared to leave and take shelter.
Sean Strickland escorted away by police
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland was escorted out of the Ellipse event by a group of police officers and taken into a Park Police van Sunday.
Once a vocal supporter of Trump, Strickland has recently said on social media that he was not invited to participate in the event at the White House because he is an outspoken critic of Israel.
Strickland was wearing a black anorak jacket and was barefoot. It wasn’t immediately clear why law enforcement led him away.
UFC CEO Dana White has rejected Strickland’s accusation that he was banned from UFC Freedom 250 events.
“Nobody is banned. Nothing is banned,” White told reporters earlier this month.
Not everyone was able to get tickets to the big UFC event
Richard Williams doesn’t have tickets to Sunday’s fights. But he drove with a friend from Pittsburgh to attend Saturday’s Fan Festival in Washington, D.C., because he wanted to see what all the hubbub was about.
He’s never been to an MMA event before but described the show the UFC put on for fans as “pretty awesome.”
For the fights to coincide with Trump’s 80th birthday and America’s 250th year, “all of that coming together at once is really amazing,” Williams said.
It will take months for oil and gas to flow freely
Even with a deal in place, it will take months for oil and gas supplies to be flowing freely enough for the world’s needs to be met, because shipping and insurance companies will want to be confident the agreement will last, energy experts said. And countries in the Middle East who paused production may have a long road ahead to restart those oil fields.
Vance says it’s possible Trump could be at the signing ceremony
Vice President JD Vance in an interview with Fox News said the White House was still figuring out the logistics of who will attend Friday’s signing ceremony in Switzerland.
“I certainly plan to be there, but it’s possible the president himself could be there,” Vance said.
He said the deal could have a transformative impact on the Middle East.
“This region of the world has been a basket case for my entire life, and longer than that,” Vance said, explaining the deal could “eliminate the nuclear threat of Iran” as well as build prosperity.
VIPs begin arriving at the White House ahead of fights
Along with a string of Trump administration officials and lawmakers, including FBI Director Kash Patel, acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, at least one foreign dignitary was seen entering the White House campus on Sunday.
Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki was spotted heading into the White House before the UFC event on the South Lawn.
Tkachuk brothers at the Ellipse
Hockey’s Tkachuk brothers were at the Ellipse as part of pre-fight festivities. They were interviewed on the main stage.
Matthew Tkachuk offered the following hot take: “It’s going to be the under in every single fight,” he said. “I think it’s not going to last like halfway through. They’re all going to be knockouts or finishes early.”
Attendees include eager first-timers
Jake Rowe, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, traveled to Washington, D.C., with his brother for the UFC fights.
“I’ve never been to an MMA match before,” he said. He jumped at the chance when he got tickets to Sunday’s events.
He’s hoping American Justin Gaethje emerges the victor in the lightweight title bout against Spanish-Georgian lightweight champion Ilia Topuria.
The fight card has two championship bouts
In a card that has been panned by fans online as underwhelming, Alex Pereira of Brazil will meet Ciryl Gane of France for the interim UFC heavyweight title. Spanish-Georgian lightweight champion Ilia Topuria then takes on interim champ Justin Gaethje, one of just two Americans who currently hold even a share of the UFC’s 11 championship belts.
There are five other fights on the main card that include former title-fight participants Michael Chandler and Derrick Lewis and former 135-pound champion Sean O’Malley.
UFC CEO Dana White said the show will go on rain or shine. Strong thunderstorms and heavy lightning disrupted Friday’s Lincoln Memorial promotional event, and the forecast for Sunday evening also looks threatening.
Macron says G7 leaders will discuss consequences of US-Iran deal
French President Emmanuel Macron said the deal between the United States and Iran will be discussed at the G7 summit, which begins Monday in the French resort town of Evian-les-Bains and brings together leaders of the world’s major advanced economies, including President Donald Trump.
“The aim will be to assess the implications of this agreement, support for Lebanon, the long-term reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, of course, reaching a deal on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic (missile) programs,” Macron said in a video posted on X.
Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will join discussions in Evian on Tuesday.
The G7 includes the U.S., France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom.
Polish visitors on hand to witness their president attend the fights
Tomasz Oracz, from south Poland, traveled from his home country to watch the seven Sunday fights.
He was spotted watching one of the many mixed martial arts fighter interviews that were taking place on the mainstage Saturday. Oracz said he was equally excited about each bout on Sunday’s fight card and couldn’t pick a favorite.
“These events are very important,” he said, especially since Poland’s president, Karol Nawrocki, is expected to attend the festivities, according to Polish media. Nawrocki has a background as an amateur boxer.
Weather woes could hit UFC show
UFC posted on social media that severe weather was expected Sunday night and fans should plan accordingly.
“We anticipate inclement weather in the area, so attendees should plan accordingly,” the UFC wrote. “We will share additional information when available.”
UFC CEO Dana White said the show will go on rain or shine. Strong thunderstorms and heavy lightning disrupted Friday’s Lincoln Memorial promotional event, and the forecast for Sunday evening also looks threatening.
Watch party o
n the Ellipse
Sunday’s event includes a watch party on the Ellipse, the expansive lawn area located between the White House and Washington Monument.
In addition to the massive video screens, there are various military-themed vehicles on display, as well as concession stands and free water that fans were lining up for under the afternoon sun.
The area is heavily secured from the outside, and there’s law enforcement presence inside as well, but as of 5 p.m. there was little sign of any unruliness.
Trump confirms US-Iran deal
Trump says “the Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete” and says the Strait of Hormuz will open immediately.
“Congratulations to all!” he wrote Sunday on his social media site. “I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade.”
The president added, “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”
Trump’s post came hours before a UFC event at the White House marking his 80th birthday.
Pakistan’s prime minister says Iran, U.S. have reached peace deal; accord to cover Lebanon
Pakistan says the United States and Iran have reached an agreement to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, offering relief to the global economy more than three months since the war began.
Full details of the deal were not immediately available. The signing will be Friday in Switzerland. It is not clear how quickly the strait might reopen to all traffic. The U.S. previously said it would ease its blockade of Iranian ports as the strait reopens, and would agree to relax sanctions to allow Iran to sell more of its oil and strengthen its battered economy.
The White House lawn is ready for Trump’s UFC birthday bash — but the weather may not cooperate
A muggy and very hot afternoon in Washington was forecast to give way to thunderstorms shortly after the evening fights in honor of Trump’s 80th birthday are set to begin.
UFC chief Dana White has insisted for days that the show will go on rain or shine.
But he’s also conceded, “I’m sick and tired of hearing about the weather” and said his league is sticking to indoor arenas going forward.
The White House is also touchy.
After the Weather Channel warned on X of a “60% chance of thunderstorms, heavy downpours, and wind gusts up to 34 mph,” the Rapid Response 47 account — which posts for the Trump administration — dismissed the post as the work of a “friendless loser” and added an expletive for emphasis.
Trump and White’s relationship spans 25 years
The Freedom 250 card marks the pinnacle of the relationship between UFC CEO Dana White and Trump, which has yielded personal, political and financial dividends for both parties. White’s first card as UFC president took place in 2001 at an event held at the Trump Taj Mahal casino.
Trump has attended four UFC cards as sitting president, walking to the cage amid rock music and patriotic chants from fans, much like the fighters themselves. White introduced Trump at two Republican National Conventions. White also attended the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April that was cut short by a shooting.
‘Bread and circuses’
The UFC event is an apt metaphor for Trump’s pugilistic political style. He is as big a fan of cage-match-style politics as he is of cage-fighting itself.
But Trump has also long been a master of political misdirection, purposely presenting people with something other than his presidency to focus on when things aren’t going well.
With the war in Iran grinding on despite weeks of assurances from Trump that its end is nigh, gas prices staying high, renewed concerns about inflation and plummeting job approval ratings for Trump — a White House birthday party unlike anything America has ever seen is definitely a diversion.
The apparent breakthrough in negotiations comes after Iran exchanged fire with the U.S. and Israel over three days this week, threatening to push the region into a full-scale war. U.S. Central Command late Friday said in a social media post that it intercepted several Iranian attack drones that were targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. (Produced by Luke Garratt)
“This is all distraction,” said Mike Fontaine, a classics professor at Cornell University, who likened it to the gladiatorial games of Imperial Rome, when combatants brutalized each other for public entertainment meant to bolster rulers’ popularity and quell potential unrest.
“This is a classic strategy,” Fontaine said. “In ancient Rome, the phrase would be, ‘bread and circuses.'”
Who’s paying for all this?
Trump says the UFC is paying for the event, and while its full costs haven’t been divulged, the National Park Service said in a court filing that $60-plus million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have gone into it, while seven government agencies have “allocated significant resources and manpower.”
UFC also announced on Friday that it was adding World Liberty Financial as an official partner for the event to create a special $250,000 athlete bonus pool for Sunday night’s winners. The cryptocurrency company is co-owned by the Trump family, founded with the president’s special diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff and run by his son, Zach. The arrangement further blurs lines between the Trump family’s financial interests and the events and construction projects the president has prioritized and used government resources to pull off.
Inside the crowd drawn to Trump’s unusual UFC fight night at the White House
One by one, the burly mixed martial arts fighters made their entrance past the solemn, hulking marble statue of America’s 16th president and jogged down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to roars from thousands of fans drawn to the unusual sporting weekend.
The news conference Friday night featured the fighters who are preparing to face off Sunday in the Octagon built outside the White House. But it was also a chance to see the UFC fans who have thronged to Washington and endured lightning, humidity and bugs for the spectacle.
Tracy Philbeck and his son Levi drove from Charlotte, North Carolina, with a group of friends to support their favorite fighter, American Justin Gaethje, in the upcoming lightweight title bout against Georgian Ilia Topuria.
“You will hear an eagle screaming when Justin Gaethje wins,” the elder Philbeck chuckled.
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Donald Trump turns 80 and celebrates with UFC cage fighting on the White House lawn
President Donald Trump turned 80 on Sunday and is set to celebrate with one of the more surreal spectacles both in sports and even in the nation’s capital: cage fighting on the White House lawn.
Against the backdrop of a 3-month-old war with Iran that’s been broadly unpopular with Americans and has rattled global oil markets and with inflation spiked to the highest level since April 2023, the White House — long known as the people’s house and a symbol of American democracy — opened its backyard Sunday night to stage a bruising UFC card on the South Lawn.
More than $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have been poured into building the arena, according to a court filing from the National Park Service, which oversees the South Lawn.