• Published8 June 2026, 11:09 BST

The UFC White House event scheduled for Sunday, 14 June has been challenged by a federal lawsuit which alleges it is unlawful.

UFC Freedom 250 is set to take place on the White House's South Lawn on US President Donald Trump's 80th birthday, as part of celebrations to mark 250 years of United States independence.

However, the Public Integrity Project has filed a lawsuit - seeking an emergency temporary retraining order - against the event billed as the first professional sporting event to be held on the White House grounds.

"We think that this is a profound misuse of our sacred national monuments for private gain. And we think that needs to be stopped because it breaks the law," said Brendan Ballou, lead attorney for the Public Integrity Project.

The Public Integrity Project is a self-described anti-corruption law firm based in Washington. It is led by Democrats including former Senator Russ Feingold and politician Zephyr Teachout, and has brought several suits against Trump, including one to undo the sale of the social media app TikTok and another to stop a billion-dollar "anti-weaponisation" fund.

The group argues that Trump and the UFC believe they do not have to apply for a permit to use the National Mall, ask Congress to approve construction of "The Claw" at the White House, or conduct an environmental review, because the fight is part of special semiquincentennial celebrations.

But it says that the event does "not in any material sense" celebrate the anniversary of the country's founding and is not being carried out by the federal government or the official commission steering the anniversary's observance.

The Trump administration issued a response to the BBC: "This is an obstructionist, baseless and dilatory lawsuit brought simply to prevent President Trump from hosting what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most historic sporting events in our nation's history during our semiquincentennial celebration."

The event is set to be headlined by a belt unification fight between lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje.

The co-main event pits Ciryl Gane against Alex Pereira in an interim heavyweight title bout.

The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, on behalf of Virginia residents Susan Douglas, a political activist, and Paul Romano, a Vietnam War veteran.

The lawsuit calls event plans "deeply corrupt", and alleges the president is doing a favour for his close friend, UFC president and chief executive Dana White, that violates federal rules and regulations.

"This is a profoundly corrupt scheme to enrich the president and his friends," said Ballou.

"If this fight is allowed to proceed, it will be only the beginning, and our national monuments will become little more than branding opportunities for the rich and well-connected. We plan to stop that."

A domed structure that will cover the octagon is under construction on the South Lawn, which Trump said he may "never, ever take down."

Aspinall-Pereira was the plan - White

On Monday, White revealed the original plan was for Britain's Tom Aspinall to defend his heavyweight title against Pereira at the White House.

But that was shelved after Aspinall, 33, suffered a career-threatening eye injury against Gane at UFC 321 in October.

It means Pereira and Gane will face off for the interim title instead, with the winner likely to face Aspinall in a unification bout at a later date.

Asked by TNT Sports if it would have been the Briton facing former two-weight champion Pereira at the White House this weekend, White said: "100%. That would have been the fight if he was [healthy].

"Right now a lot of our champions are hurt, so it's kind of funky. There's a lot of things you have to deal with when you're making these matches, with timing and everything else going in everyone's life, injuries. But yeah, it would have been Tom."

Last week, Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn claimed the UFC had not invited Aspinall to the event at the White House.