Trump hosts White House MMA fights amid peace deal

The US President Donald Trump hosts a card of seven mixed martial arts fights, popularly known as MMA, to be held on Sunday inside a specially built arena on the White House’s South Lawn on his 80th birthday, a spectacle ​spotlighting his norm-defying style at a tense moment in his presidency.

 
Seventeen months into his second term in office, Trump has repeatedly pushed the boundaries of the U.S. presidency to ‌command attention and project strength. His latest stage is the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Octagon, the eight-sided cage erected within eyeshot of his White House bedroom for the event titled “UFC Freedom 250.” That is a reference to the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding next month.

The event comes as Trump grapples with the four-month-old Iran war that has pushed consumer prices to a three-year high and, as shown in public opinion polls, unnerved many voters. It also coincides with his birthday and his efforts to counter perceptions that ​he is becoming a lame duck president, reports Reuters.


Trump is set to watch 14 mixed martial arts fighters from five countries try to kick, punch and grapple their way to a victory ​before an expected audience of 4,000 people inside a 92-foot-tall (28 meters) makeshift venue, nicknamed "The Claw." The main event, scheduled for up to five rounds, features UFC lightweight ⁠champion Ilia Topuria against former interim titleholder Justin Gaethje. The fights are set to begin at 8:00pm (0000 GMT Monday).