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.”
The lawsuit filed against the National Park Service, along with other federal agencies and officials, by two Virginia residents backed by the left-wing activist group Public Integrity Project, alleged the planned events at the White House and Lincoln Memorial are “deeply corrupt,” violating NPS regulations on sporting events on its property and being a burden to taxpayers. The Department of Justice urged the judge to deny their bid to stop the event, taking aim at the two residents for filing their lawsuit on the eve of the event, which was announced in 2025, while also asserting that “NPS’s regulations do not prohibit the UFC Freedom 250 activities.”
With Mehta’s Friday ruling, the fight and other activities related to the UFC Freedom 250 can continue. The two Virginia residents could appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, but they are unlikely to get a favorable ruling from a higher court with the fight just over 48 hours away.
DOJ SLAMS LAST-MINUTE LAWSUIT TRYING TO STOP UFC WHITE HOUSE EVENT
The event is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Sunday, with a seven-fight lineup planned, in a specially constructed outdoor venue known as “the Claw” on the South Lawn. The venue will have 4,500 seats, while thousands more will be able to watch the fights from large screens set up on the Ellipse, and the event will be televised on Paramount+.
The UFC event is billed as part of the festivities in Washington, D.C., leading up to the country’s 250th birthday on July 4. Other events for the semiquincentennial include a planned “state fair” on the National Mall and an IndyCar race in downtown D.C. in August.