UFC boss Dana White spoken out against against Josh Hokit after the fighter made disparaging and false remarks about Michelle Obama during the White House’s UFC Freedom 250 event.
“I understand that the Obamas are public figures but I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families,” White wrote Time magazine in a text message. “Everyone knows my position on free speech but I hate that kind of nonsense.”
After winning his heavyweight fight against Derrick Lewis on the White House lawn, Hokit was interviewed on the Paramount+ livestream by Joe Rogan. Unexpectedly, Hokit shouted into the microphone, “And lastly, Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?,” drawing cheers and screams from the live audience. The incendiary remarks were roundly criticized on social media but went unaddressed throughout the remainder of the broadcast. Rogan appeared flustered and backed away from the fighter, only saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, Josh Hokit.”
White House spokesman Steven Cheung dodged a question about Hokit’s comment, saying, “He had a great win last night. He showed toughness and the ability to pressure his opponent both on his feet and on the ground,” according to CNN’s Jake Tapper.
The bloody spectacle — a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary that also happened to land on Donald Trump’s 80th birthday — was otherwise largely avoidant of partisan politics. UFC athletes (both from the U.S. and other countries) walked out the White House and into the octagon, with Trump, the First Lady Melania and UFC CEO Dana White sitting cageside. The fighters marched alongside U.S. veterans and first responders as people dressed as Revolutionary War soldiers stood guard. The Zac Brown Band performed the national anthem.

From 5h ago
Trump announces 4 July rally in Washington to mark US 250th anniversary
Donald Trump has announced plans to hold a rally in Washington on 4 July as America celebrates its 250th anniversary, saying the event will include a speech, performances, flyovers and fireworks.
“On July 4th, at The Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, in beautiful and safe Washington D.C., we are going to host the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all, a ’TRIBUTE TO AMERICA.’ Starting at 7 P.M. EST, this HUGE Celebration will honor our Country’s People, Spirit, Strength, Resolve, and Triumphs,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
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Key events
US and Iran have signed memorandum of understanding, US official says
The ⁠United States and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding to settle the nearly four-month war, Reuters reports that ⁠senior US ⁠officials ​have said, adding that a signing ceremony would take place on Friday and shipping traffic ⁠in the strait of Hormuz would gradually ramp up.
The memorandum of understanding has been signed ⁠by Donald Trump and vice-president JD Vance and ​Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher ‌Ghalibaf, one US ‌official said.
Speaking at a briefing with reporters, the US ‌official added that there will also be a signing ceremony on Friday.
“You will see significant increase in traffic in the strait of Hormuz, actually starting already, and that will ramp up slowly over time,” the US official, ‌speaking on the condition of anonymity, said. “We probably won’t return to normal in two weeks, but ​we will see a significant increase in strait traffic.”
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UFC boss Dana White says ‘never again’ to another White House fight night
UFC chief executive Dana White insisted that yesterday’s event at the White House exceeded his expectations “in every way you gauge success” – but stood by his claim that it is a one-and-done.
“It was an amazing, experience, this was a one of one,” he said. “It will never happen again.”
Merchandise, he said, had hit all-time metrics, and the numbers on Paramount were “monstrous”.
“Hopefully tonight created some unity,” White said. “Even for the people that thought this was going to be some big political statement or something, this wasn’t. This was Americans, all Americans celebrating the birthday. For people who tuned in for the first time, because it was at the White House, hopefully they liked the sport. They liked some of the guy’s stories.”
But despite all the pomp and pageantry, the eyerolls and angst, White stood by his claim that UFC is one-and-done in DC.
The constant headaches over weather concerns in the rare outdoors show, the logistics of construction of the cage and staging events at federal landmarks and the soaring cost – UFC said it was footing the $60m tab – made the Freedom 250 a one-off for a company once dubbed “human cockfighting”.
“I can’t afford it,” White said. “I’ll never do the Sphere [in Las Vegas] again and we’ll never do this again.”
White also said that he and Donald Trump had discussed doing a fight for troops in 2027 but coordinating with the military to have fights on military bases takes time.
“He wanted to do it this year,” White said. “And I said, sir, I need a year to recover financially.”
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Updated at 11.54 EDT
Donald Trump will be looking to build on the momentum of announcing his deal with Iran, and is expected to discuss with the G7 leaders the de-mining of the strait of Hormuz.
Britain and France have expressed interest in assisting with that effort once the conflict was paused. Fears over potential mines is among the reasons tanker traffic ground to a halt in the critical waterway during the war, and quickly clearing them will be crucial to regaining the confidence of commercial vessels to resume navigating the strait.
Macron today said France was ready to move “very quickly” to deploy assets, including mine-clearing vessels, to the region to help, the Associated Press reports.
The French president added that a French aircraft carrier and an accompanying strike group are already in the region and would be ready to assist within days of the US and Iran signing the agreement.
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Here are some pictures of Donald Trump’s arrival for the G7 summit in Évian les-Bains.
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Updated at 11.29 EDT
Patrick Wintour
in Évian les-Bains
Emmanuel Macron, the host of the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, has framed an agenda to make it as palatable as possible to his guest of honour, but the French president has no idea if Donald Trump, a haphazard summit attender, will last the full three days – or disrupt the proceedings every hour he stays.
The US president quit the last G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, early to work on the Iran conflict, and this year, plus ça change, Iran may also draw presidential attention. For good measure, he insulted this summit’s host before leaving Canada last year, describing Macron as “publicity seeking” and adding: “Purposefully or not, Emmanuel Macron always gets it wrong.”
Macron, who will be attending his 10th G7 summit, chose not to take umbrage, and has even postponed the start of the summit to allow Trump to celebrate his 80th birthday with a UFC event on the White House lawn. Macron is holding out a dinner in Versailles on Wednesday night as a reward if Trump stays the three days; French officials say Trump adores the palace’s gold, and insist the two men respect each other.
It will be touch and go if Trump completes the summit. Reports out of Washington suggest the US president has not been in celebratory mood, and the temptation for him will be to insult his six fellow leaders – representing Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the UK – for lacking the loyalty to join his earlier plan to reopen the strait of Hormuz through force. At best, he will be demanding the planned Franco-British naval taskforce to enforce the restoration of freedom of navigation, as outlined in the US-Iran joint memorandum of understanding, moves quickly. De-mining is also urgently needed if the hundreds of tankers backed up in the strait are to reach the arteries of the world economy in time.
The other G7 leaders – all opposed to the Iran war, with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, describing it as a US humiliation – will have to decide whether to look ahead, or pass verdict on a war that has upended the world economy.
Trump also faces being cornered by two other even more persistent wars – Ukraine and Gaza. Macron wants to see Europe given a greater role in solving both conflicts, pointing out it is Europe, not the US, that is saving Ukraine from bankruptcy.
France will also be pressing for the US to resolve the impasse in Gaza over Hamas disarmament. Trump will meet leaders from Qatar, UAE and Egypt to discuss the crisis and the fallout from Iran. But there will be no attempt to sign a joint communique on the conflicts and Macron will instead issue a summary.
If the worst comes to the worst, the Évian golf course – which dates back to 1904 – is closed for the three days, and if the earnest summitry gets too much, it represents an escape route for the world’s most famous 80-year-old golfer.
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Updated at 11.10 EDT
Trump arrives for G7 summit at tense moment for relations
Donald Trump has landed in Geneva ahead of this week’s G7 summit, shortly after announcing his tentative peace agreement with Iran to end a war that has upended the global economy and killed thousands of people in the region.
From Geneva, he will travel to Évian-les-Bains, France, where world leaders are gathered for the annual summit. Later today he’ll have a bilateral meeting with the host, French president Emmanuel Macron, ahead of a working dinner with the other G7 leaders.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also meet with G7 leaders, including Trump, tomorrow, as Russia’s invasion of his country rages on – though there’s no word yet on whether or not he’ll get a one-on-one with the US president.
This year’s summit comes as Trump’s relations with many of the other G7 leaders is at an all-time low. Indeed, he’s fallen out massively with several key allies who have criticized his war on Iran – British PM Keir Starmer, German chancellor Friederich Merz (who described the war as a humiliation of the United States), and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni. He’s always had a turbulent relationship with Macron, but that’s also disintegrated after Trump’s “inelegant” comments about his private life. Trump’s relationship with Canadian PM Mark Carney also remains cordial yet tense. Indeed, the only G7 leader Trump has a warm relationship with at the moment is Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi.
A reminder that Trump left last year’s summit in the Canadian Rockies after only a day as the Israeli-Iran conflict intensified. Three days later he joined Israel in bombing key Iranian nuclear sites.
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Updated at 11.00 EDT
JD Vance also dodged the question when he was asked by CNBC who would be at the signing of the agreement on Friday.
Without addressing who would be present for the US side, he said they “expect the negotiating team from the Iranian side is going to be the Speaker of the House [Mohammad Bagher] Ghalibaf, and also the foreign minister [Abbas] Araghchi, along with a number of security officials and people who represent the different constituencies within their country.”
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Updated at 10.06 EDT
In an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box this morning, JD Vance has admitted that a “lot” of details remain that need to be figured out between the US and Iran, but insisted that the US has “all the cards”.
Vance also said he hopes text of the agreement will be released this week.
He told CNBC that Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to be involved in those upcoming discussions, as well as its hardline parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
The two major prongs of the deal are the reopening of the strait of Hormuz – which the US expects to be “toll-free” in the long term – and a commitment from Iran to “never develop or procure a nuclear weapon”, Vance said.
He also suggested that Iran would be rewarded with loosened economic sanctions or other barriers, allowing Tehran “to be re-invited into the world economy”, if it abides by the commitments of the deal.
The vice-president went on:
double quotation markI think it’s a great day for the American people … our expectation is that the strait is going to be opened in a toll-free way for the long term.
That’s the sort of thing that we’re going to figure out in these technical negotiations. There are a lot of very important details to figure out that we’re actually going to sit at the table and discuss together and figure out a path forward on these details.
He added that while Iran has “committed to destroy and dispose of their stockpile of highly enriched material”, the process for doing that has not been established.
double quotation markAnd what we’ve said is, OK, let’s talk about how exactly we’re going to do that.
They want access to an unsanctioned economy. We’ve talked about, ‘OK, we’re open to that,’ but that would require a long-term commitment to the inspection and verification regime.
So, a lot of these details are going to be figured out during those 60-day talks.
“We feel quite confident that we’re in a strong position,” Vance added.
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Updated at 10.01 EDT
Republican senator Lindsey Graham, a leading Iran hawk, welcomed news of the US-Iran deal but remained deeply skeptical amid the lack of details about the content of the agreement.
“I am pleased to hear the memorandum of understanding with Iran to allow the Strait of Hormuz to open has been agreed to,” Graham wrote in a post on X, but added: “I am somewhat concerned that Iran’s view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming.
“Under our law, any nuclear deal with Iran will be sent to Congress for review and a vote,” he went on. “I look forward to reviewing the final product and I believe it is imperative that the architect of the deal, Vice President [JD] Vance and his negotiating partners, be part of the process in presenting the final deal to Congress.
“Congratulations to all in getting us to this point. Time will tell,” Graham added.
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Updated at 08.32 EDT
US and Iran reach framework peace deal to end war
Jason Burke
A framework peace deal between the US and Iran has been reached, Donald Trump and senior Iranian officials have said, bringing the 15-week conflict to a tentative end and offering hope of relief for the region and the world economy.
The secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said war and military operations on all fronts, including Israel’s war in Lebanon, would end permanently from tonight.
The precise terms of the deal remain unclear but in a statement posted to Truth Social yesterday evening, the US president announced the opening of the strait of Hormuz as well as the removal of the US naval blockade. “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” he wrote.
Trump later clarified that reopening the strait would depend on the signing of an initial memorandum of understanding on Friday, which Pakistan, acting as mediator, said would take place in Geneva.
Leaked drafts suggest the memorandum will trigger an immediate 60-day period of intensive technical talks, during which the most contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme, will be discussed. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, confirmed that negotiators would seek to reach a broader agreement that would include sanctions relief for Iran.
Thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, most of them in Iran and Lebanon, since US and Israeli forces first attacked Iran on 28 February. Iran retaliated with attacks on Israel and Gulf states hosting US bases, targeting military and civilian infrastructure.
Here’s Jason’s full report:
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Trump announces 4 July rally in Washington to mark US 250th anniversary
Donald Trump has announced plans to hold a rally in Washington on 4 July as America celebrates its 250th anniversary, saying the event will include a speech, performances, flyovers and fireworks.
“On July 4th, at The Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, in beautiful and safe Washington D.C., we are going to host the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all, a ’TRIBUTE TO AMERICA.’ Starting at 7 P.M. EST, this HUGE Celebration will honor our Country’s People, Spirit, Strength, Resolve, and Triumphs,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
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Moira Donegan
Hitler dreamed of a 1,000-year Reich; Putin is said to have baroque dreams of territorial conquest meant to restore a dubiously historical empire he calls “Greater Russia”.
Sure, there are people around Donald Trump who imagine using his rise to power to establish some sort of grand, civilizational project: there are the white nationalists who dream of a country purged of those they deem racially impure; there are the Christian nationalists who imagine a future theocracy in which women wear long braids and skirts, and don’t vote; there are the techno-reactionaries who imagine a future of interplanetary colonies, techno-assisted eugenics, and polygamous harems.
But Trump himself is conspicuously small in his dreams: his are comparatively little ambitions, not extending far beyond the reach of his ego and his senses.
He wants praise. He wants to see his name and his portrait everywhere. He wants to feel like a big man, to see those he feels have wronged him be penitent and upset. Maybe most of all, he wants to indulge in his own bad taste, repeatedly visiting the lowbrow staples of the 1980s, when he was young and at the height of his tabloid fame.
He loves the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber. He loves the music of Bon Jovi and the Village People. And he loves the gaudy, clownish tokens of masculinity that appeal to very small children: big trucks, big muscles, and demonstrations of physical strength.
And so it felt fitting that on Trump’s 80th birthday, at an event nominally meant to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding but really functioning as a celebration for a very special boy, the White House hosted a cage fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The UFC is a competitive league for mixed martial arts – a vaguely sports-like endeavor that combines elements of kickboxing, wrestling and traditional boxing, and seems designed to saturate a television audience’s appetite for maximum violence.
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Updated at 08.35 EDT
Donald Trump threatened to slap a 100% tariff on French wine and champagne unless Paris removes a digital services tax on tech firms, the New York Post reported on Monday.
France imposed in 2019 a three percent levy on the revenues earned by technology firms – including American giants such as Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google parent Alphabet – within the country’s borders.
French president Emmanuel Macron is due to host Trump on Monday before the G7 summit gets underway at the spa resort of Evian on Lake Geneva.
Trump said he asked Macron “not to charge American companies,” according to the New York Post.
“If they do, I have no choice but to charge a 100% tariff on all champagnes and all wines coming out of France,” he was quoted as saying.
“All [Macron] has to do is get rid of the sales tax, and he wouldn’t have that kind of pressure.”
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Adam Gabbatt
It’s been quite the journey for Hunter Biden. In the space of a few weeks, the former first son has gone from a man seen as a political liability to an unlikely galvanizing force within the Democratic party, through his emergence on social media as a mental health advocate, razzer of Republicans, and working-class whisperer.
In the process Biden has switched from the GOP’s bete noire to, actually, someone that a fair number of Republican voters seem to like.
His self-deprecating posts, including one where he told Playboy magazine he would not pose nude for them, and another where he engaged in some campy wordplay over a phallic misspelling of the word “election”, are mixed in with serious messages about addiction recovery. And his populist posts about politics even have some calling for him to run for US president in 2028.
Frequently, his honest, human responses to trolling have seemed to win over critics.
Take his response to an X user called Ashley, whose username is @TeamTrump47. Ashley, whose bio says she loves Jesus, responded to a post from Biden by writing: “I’d rather live under a rock than smoke it.”
“Me too. It was awful,” responded Biden, prompting a mea culpa from Ashley.
“Well damn, Hunter, that makes me sad,” she wrote. “You live a better life than you were living. Good luck.”
Biden’s rise on X, where he has amassed more than 780,000 followers, has attracted the attention of Trump himself. Last week the president was asked for his thoughts on Biden’s chances in a hypothetical 2028 primary.
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Vance says he will discuss 2028 presidential run after midterms
Gloria Oladipo
JD Vance said that he will discuss a 2028 US presidential run with his wife after the 2026 midterms.
The US vice-president gave insight into his ongoing decision on whether to run during an interview with CBS Sunday Morning where he spoke on his new memoir, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, which details his conversion to Catholicism.
“Usha and I will absolutely sit down and talk about what comes next for our family,” said Vance. “People sort of assume that I’m sitting around, figuring out, whether I’m gonna run for president … the way that I make decisions is that I try not to make them until I absolutely must.”
The vice-president added that he believes Trump will be “very supportive” on his decision. “I have no doubt that the president of the United States is going to be very supportive of anything that I ultimately decide to do,” said Vance.
Vance added that he never begins discussions with Trump about his future political plans. “I never bring it up. But sure, the president brings it up a lot, sometimes publicly, sometimes privately. You know, the president’s a political animal. He loves this stuff. He’s very fascinated by it.”
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Trump’s UFC fights at White House marred by misogynistic smear aimed at Michelle Obama
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.
Donald Trump’s UFC fights held on the White House lawn were marred by a misogynistic smear aimed at former first lady Michelle Obama last night.
Beneath a giant steel canopy known as the Claw, the president celebrated the forthcoming 250th anniversary of US independence – but, much more importantly, his own 80th birthday – by staging the first professional sporting event in White House history.
Several winning fighters greeted Trump after their bouts, while American fighter Bo Nickal followed ‌his knockout victory by climbing over the cage fence to ‌shake Trump’s hand.
Another fighter, heavyweight Josh Hokit, gave a rambling post-fight interview that veered from praise for the president to religion before concluding with the false conspiracy claim that “Michelle Obama is a man.” The remark, one of the oldest and most persistent smears directed at the former first lady, drew cheers from some sections of the crowd and bewilderment from others.
Hokit’s comments were not the evening’s only political barb. When former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley faced Canada’s Aiemann Zahabi, the bout took on a nationalistic fervor.
Trump donned a white “USA” hat cageside while chants of “U-S-A!” rang out from sections of the crowd. At various points spectators shouted “Canada is the 51st state!” – echoing Trump’s repeated taunts about annexing America’s northern neighbor – while others urged O’Malley to “eat” his opponent.
Meanwhile, dozens of people stood across the entrance gates to the Ellipse, the park south of the White House, holding protest signs and chanting.
“This reeks of corruption – way too much corruption,” said Susan Douglas, an organizer with Third Act Virginia, the progressive pro-democracy grassroots organization that organized the demonstration. “Let’s face it,” she added. “It’s for Trump’s birthday and has nothing to do with the founding of our country.”
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced last week that it will pay bonuses to fighters in a form of cryptocurrency issued by Trump family business World Liberty Financial.
Read the full story:
In other developments:
Trump arrives in Evian-les-Bains on Monday afternoon for talks with G7 leaders, including some who have been sharply critical of his managing of the roughly 15-week conflict that has led to a surge in global energy prices. World leaders began gathering in a French spa town for the summit with a new impetus following the US president’s announcement of an agreement that he says will bring an end to the war against Iran.
The Iranian deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, confirmed in the early hours of Monday an agreement for an “immediate end” to the US-Iranian war, and said Lebanon was included in a peace deal due to be signed on Friday. Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, announced the agreement on Sunday afternoon, saying both sides would be declaring “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts”.
Trump told Vladimir Putin that ending Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine was critical and that he was prepared to help, reported Russia’s TASS news agency. During a phone call on Sunday, Trump also informed the Russian president that the US was nearing a peace deal with Iran as the US-Israel war against the country continues, according to Yuri Ushakov, a Putin adviser.
JD Vance said he would discuss a 2028 US presidential run with his wife, Usha, after the 2026 midterms. “Usha and I will absolutely sit down and talk about what comes next for our family,” said Vance. The US vice-president gave insight into his ongoing decision on whether to run during an interview with CBS Sunday Morning where he spoke on his new memoir, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, which details his conversion to Catholicism.
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The government will also stop children being able to livestream on “safer” sites, and stop them being able to talk to strangers on gaming apps.
Ministers are considering whether to impose social media curfews for children, but further details will not be unveiled until next month.
Australia introduced the world’s first outright ban on social media for under-16s in December 2025 and Whitehall sources are describing the UK’s scheme, to be unveiled by Sir Keir on Monday morning, as “Australia-plus”.
“This is a choice about whose side we’re on: families across the country, or a status quo that isn’t working,” Sir Keir said.
He would, he said, “call time on a system that’s failing our kids”.
While a government consultation has found a majority supports a social media ban for under-16s, some campaigners have said such sweeping measures would cause more problems.
The Sunday Times reported the prime minister was set to announce a ban covering the same 10 platforms now prohibited for under-16s in Australia: TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram, but also YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, X, Threads, Facebook and Kick.
It said the UK would “go further” than Australia with additional measures including curfews for older teenagers and restrictions on AI chatbots.
Sir Keir said: “How we keep kids safe online is one of the biggest debates of our time. As a dad, I know every parent wants their child to grow up safe and happy.
“This is a choice about whose side we’re on: families across the country, or a status quo that isn’t working.
“People rightly expect action, and this government will always stand up for parents and put children first.
“That’s why we will call time on a system that’s failing our kids and take bold action to give every child the best possible start in life.”
As well as asking people’s views on an outright ban, it put forward less dramatic interventions. These included switching off addictive features like infinite scroll and autoplay, curfews, strengthened age verification, and restricted AI chatbot use.
There were a total of 116,000 responses to the survey. Some 90% of parents who responded backed a social media ban for under-16s, with more than 83% saying the benefits of social media were outweighed by the risks.
The father of Molly Russell, who took her own life aged 14 after seeing harmful content online, told the BBC he would be “dismayed” should such bans come into force, having previously called instead for better regulation.
Ian Russell warned in January that an Australia-style ban would “create a false sense of safety”, push children to other areas of the internet, and deprive them of connection. Organisations including the NSPCC, the Internet Watch Foundation and Childnet supported the message.
Russell told the BBC on Saturday that Sir Keir appeared to have “rushed” his policy for “a political reason”.
“If he’s playing politics, what he’s doing is gambling with young people’s lives – and I find that deplorable.”
The culture secretary meanwhile told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that technology firms had had “more than enough time to get their house in order”.
Lisa Nandy said she would not pre-empt Starmer’s announcement but said it was “how, not whether, we better protect children online”. She also pointed to the support for a ban during the consultation.

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.

GENEVA (AP) — Thousands of demonstrators converged Sunday to show their discontent with the G7 group of rich countries, with U.S. President Donald Trump and counterparts set to hold a summit starting a day later in nearby France.
Environmentalists and feminists joined foes of imperialism, defenders of independent media, supporters of Palestinian rights and others in a lakeside park in Geneva for a march across town. A boat whose sail read “No G7” floated by, as sunbathers and swimmers basked under blue skies.
Among the crowd was a group of about 15 youths wearing black hoodies and masks who gathered behind an anti-Trump banner. Signs reading “Antisemitic never; anti-Zionist always” could also be seen.
Organizers of the protest printed a handbook for demonstrators that included a map of the security perimeter, tips on how to gear up for the march, and advice on how to behave if detained by police.
Travel restrictions and limited border crossings during the summit
Swiss and French authorities have deployed thousands of police to provide security for the three-day summit starting Monday in the resort town of Evian-les-Bains, France. The leaders are set to discuss issues including the Middle East, Ukraine and global economic imbalances.
Authorities have blocked off roads, banned unauthorized gatherings and pledged financial support for businesses who could be hit by unrest. Scores of businesses and shops have boarded up their storefronts with wooden panels as a precaution — leery of upheaval that left a trail of damage in Geneva during a similar summit in Evian in 2003. Only seven of the 35 roadway border crossings will remain open.
Demonstrators have been gathering for days in advance of Sunday’s march in Geneva, the largest city in the area and designated gathering spot for activists who oppose the G7.
A flotilla of around 20 boats appeared on Lake Geneva off the coast of Evian on Saturday, displaying anti-G7 and pro-Palestinian banners. Some 20 protesters were detained on Friday evening, according to Swiss media reports.
Earlier, between 100 and 150 people had gathered in Geneva for a protest bicycle ride, slowing down traffic and chanting anti-G7 and pro-Palestinian slogans, public broadcaster RTS reported.
Resident Robin Hedz lamented the “mess” and expressed bafflement about the “wood-wall everywhere,” while acknowledging the memories of the trail of damaged property at the summit over 20 years ago.
France will deploy more than 13,000 police and gendarmerie officers to ensure security in the summit area just across the border. Over 800 French border control officers will be active, up from about 60 normally.
French gendarmes buzzed around in motorboats off the coast of Evian on Saturday, and one officer hoisted up a bulky drone-interception device in a display of the security measures being rolled out for the summit.
Trump is the focus of protests
Protests are nothing new around such elite gatherings. This time, activists want to demonstrate frustration with Trump’s leadership on issues as diverse as tariffs, the war in Iran and the climate, or even highlight his past ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The G7 summit takes place as the United States and Iran appear close to a deal to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz.
“We are very afraid of the policy and the politics of Mr. Trump and also of the other leaders of the G7, because they are fighting, making war all over the place,” said Francoise Nyffeler, spokesperson for the NoG7 coalition, which has organized the demonstration and march on Sunday.
“The planet is in danger and we are very scared about it and we want to protest and say that the people of the world are against their policies,” she added.
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Associated Press video journalist Oleg Cetinic and Samuel Petrequin contributed to this report.