UFC Freedom 250: White House hosts MMA card for Trump’s 80th birthday – live updates

• Officials delay start of fights to 9pm for storm forecast

• UFC takes over White House lawn for seven-fight card

• The stratospheric rise of the UFC’s Dana White

• UFC to pay fighters in crypto from Trump company

• Reach out to Bryan on Bluesky or by email

Before the cage fighting came the motocross. On Saturday, Nitro Circus star Travis Pastrana and a group of motocross riders performed jumps and stunts on the South Lawn as part of the build-up festivities. Pastrana had been invited by UFC chief executive Dana White to perform a dirt-bike backflip against the backdrop of the White House, a sentence that might have felt ripped from a Mike Judge screenplay not all that long ago. The stunt show formed part of a broader weekend program that has included fighter weigh-ins at the Lincoln Memorial, concerts, fan festivals and enough pyrotechnics to power a national political convention and Wrestlemania back to back. Welcome to Costco, I love you.

The weather has landed the first blow at UFC Freedom 250. With thunderstorms forecast across the Washington area on Sunday evening, UFC officials delayed the start of the White House card by approximately one hour. Broadcast coverage is still scheduled to begin at 8pm ET on Paramount+, but the first fight is now expected no earlier than 9pm, with promotion officials indicating the exact timing remains subject to changing conditions.