A federal court declined to halt the UFC fight on the White House South Lawn this weekend, denying a lawsuit from two Virginia residents filed a week ahead of the event.U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, denied an effort to halt the UFC Freedom 250 event, which is set to take place Sunday, which is both Flag Day and President Donald Trump‘s 80th birthday, on the South Lawn of the White House, finding the two residents did not show a likelihood of standing to bring the claims in federal court.Mehta also found that even if the residents did have standing to bring the lawsuit, they have not shown how they would be irreparably harmed if the event is allowed to take place, also taking a swipe at the two Virginia residents for filing the lawsuit a week before the long-planned fight.
“Plaintiffs’ unreasonable delay in filing suit, though not dispositive, undercuts their claims of irreparable harm,” Mehta wrote. “The public has known that the White House would be hosting a UFC fight event since President Trump first announced it in July 2025. Equipment and materials for the event began arriving at the White House around May 20, 2026, and construction of the Claw began six days later. Plaintiffs, however, waited until June 7, 2026—more than two weeks after visible preparations commenced at the White House—to seek emergency relief.”
