Judge rules UFC White House event can continue on South Lawn

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Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C., federal court has ruled that the UFC Freedom 250 can be held on the grounds of the White House on June 14.A lawsuit filed by the Public Integrity Project alleged decisions made by the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service permitting the event violated federal law and the Park Service's own regulations.Mehta refused to issue a preliminary injunction to stop the June 14 fight card, further construction of the structure on the South Lawn and the pre-fight news conference at the Lincoln Memorial scheduled for June 12.Mehta noted that the critics had called the “Claw,” the temporary fighting arena assembled on the South Lawn, “hideous,” “grotesque” and “disgusting.” But he ruled they hadn’t showed how they were “directly affected” by the government’s actions. “Even if Plaintiffs had established standing, the court still would deny emergency relief because Plaintiffs have not proven irreparable harm,” Mehta wrote. “Their harms are also decidedly temporary. The Claw will be disassembled beginning at 10 a.m. on June 15, 2026.”Mehta also said the critics waited too long to file their lawsuit on June 7.Mehta said the critics hadn’t identified environmental damage significant enough to call off the event. The UFC estimates it will spend $700,000 to restore grass damaged by the Claw on the South Lawn, Mehta wrote.The lawsuit stated that the event did not qualify under a temporary rule permitting events celebrating America 250 as it is being run by the UFC and not "executive departments and agencies or the Semiquincentennial Commission for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence." It also stated that the only special event that can be held at the Lincoln Memorial is a celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday.UFC Freedom 250 full cardIlia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje, lightweight title boutAlex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane, heavyweight interim title boutSean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi, bantamweightJosh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis, heavyweightMichael Chandler vs. Mauricio Ruffy, lightweightKyle Daukaus vs. Bo Nickal, middleweightSteve Garcia vs. Diego Lopes, featherweightHow to watch Justin Gaethje vs. Ilia TopuriaDate: Sunday, June 14Where: The White House (South Lawn)Time: 8 p.m. ETStream: Paramount (free with subscription, starting at $.99/month).This developing story will be updated.Contributing: Josh Peter, USA TODAY Sports