Plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit filed late Saturday are attempting to halt the June 14 UFC Freedom 250 card on the South Lawn of the White House.
The suit, filed by the Public Integrity Project in District of Columbia federal court, alleges that the Department of Interior and the National Park Service violated federal law by organizing a private sporting event on public property and failing to obtain congressional approval for the event's multiple construction sites. An emergency application for a preliminary injunction to stop the event was filed early Sunday morning in the same court.
The suit claims violations of park service regulations by allowing the event to occur, that the construction of the UFC's claw stadium structure on the South Lawn needed congressional authorization because it is federal parkland, and that there was not an environmental review "before undertaking 'major federal action' significantly affecting the quality of the human environment."
"We think that this is a profound misuse of our sacred national monuments for private gain," said Brendan Ballou, the lead attorney for the Public Integrity Project. "And we think that needs to be stopped because it breaks the law."
Ballou said he anticipates a ruling on the emergency injunction application this week. The Public Integrity Project describes itself as an anti-corruption law firm with offices in Washington.
A Trump administration official took umbrage with the suit in an emailed statement to ESPN on Sunday.
"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 statement read. "This iconic event is no different than the various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year."
Messages seeking comment from the UFC, Department of Interior, National Park Service and Department of Justice were not immediately returned to ESPN.
The UFC scheduled its news conference for Friday night in front of the Lincoln Memorial, with weigh-ins Saturday at the Ellipse and fights Sunday at the White House, coinciding with President Donald Trump's 80th birthday.
The suit mentions only events at the White House and Lincoln Memorial in its violation allegations. The suit mistakenly claims the weigh-in, rather than the news conference, will be at the Lincoln Memorial.
"Ultimately, we want to stop this fight, this weigh-in and the permanent installation of the quote-unquote claw," Ballou said. "And I want to be clear, this is not an attack on MMA in the slightest. This is an attack on the corruption that is facilitating this event."
In an interview with ESPN on Sunday morning, Ballou referenced three areas of financial concern: the reported $1.5 million sponsorship packages being sold for the event, the exclusive streaming deal with Paramount with the need to subscribe to Paramount+ for the fight, and any potential advertisements on the Octagon and at the Lincoln Memorial.
Ballou said the decision to file the suit came after reporting June 4 claimed the UFC was financing and organizing the event. UFC CEO Dana White told ESPN last month and has said multiple times that the event would cost up to $60 million and that his organization was paying for it.
The suit claims that the UFC card "does not satisfy the conditions for authorization" under a temporary rule allowing for special events in conjunction with the United States' 250th anniversary celebrations in 2026.
The suit claims it is not occurring to celebrate America's independence and is not being planned by the federal government. Instead, the suit claims, the event is being run by the UFC and is a celebration of the UFC and of Trump's birthday instead of the country.
White told ESPN in May that the fights are to celebrate America's birthday and that "from the first fight of the night to the main event, we're going to tell the story of America."
The suit claims that UFC Freedom 250 is not being run or organized by an "executive department or agency" other than the security and that "no official semiquincentennial commission is planning, organizing and executing the event either." Therefore, the suit claims, it doesn't meet the America 250 special event exemption. The suit also claims no special events are allowed at the Lincoln Memorial other than a ceremony honoring his birthday.
It is unclear the involvement of Freedom 250, one of the two organizations vying for events surrounding the United States' 250th anniversary. Media reports conflict on the Freedom 250 group's involvement despite the matching names. On the Freedom 250 website Sunday morning, the UFC Freedom 250 event was not listed in its offerings, which include the Great American State Fair and a FIFA World Cup fan zone on the National Mall, but the UFC is listed as one of its sponsors.
A message to America 250, another group authorizing semiquincentennial events, was not immediately returned to ESPN but the website does not list the UFC card on its schedule of events, either.
Construction of the claw needed congressional approval, the suit claims, also saying it is destroying the South Lawn. The suit also claimed the South Lawn construction should have undergone an "environmental assessment," according to federal law. It's unclear whether any review took place.
Pete Dropick, the UFC's executive vice president of event development and operations, told ESPN in May that lawn repairs would be "a significant cost" the UFC would pay, estimating that it could range from $700,000 to $1 million -- all without digging into the White House dirt.