Preparations are underway at the White House as Donald Trump gets ready to mark his 80th birthday with a UFC event scheduled for June 14.

The White House South Lawn is currently being transformed for the occasion, with plans including the construction of an octagonal cage and seating areas for attendees.

Plans for the event were publicly confirmed in October by the president during a speech at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.

Construction Begins On Donald Trump’s UFC Birthday Event

June 14 marks Trump’s birthday, and the celebration is expected to coincide with a UFC event.

According to a report by The New York Times, construction for the event is already underway on the White House South Lawn.

The setup is expected to include an octagonal cage inside a 90-foot-tall open-air structure, which will dramatically stand out from most views of the White House grounds.

The structure will be surrounded by seating areas for ticket holders and is expected to accommodate around 5,000 people if tickets sell out completely.

Ahead of construction, the UFC released a rendering on its official X page showing how the setup is expected to look.

Fans Will Have Multiple Ways To Watch

In addition to the seating arrangements close to the cage, further accommodations are being planned for fans who want to watch the fights.

According to the outlet, the White House Ellipse grounds will host a “UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest,” where between 75,000 and 100,000 people will be able to watch the fights for free.

Viewers at home will also be able to watch the event on CBS or Paramount+, both of which have reportedly secured deals with the group responsible for UFC media rights.

The UFC event forms part of the administration’s yearlong celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.

The White House will not be footing the bill for the massive event, as the cost is expected to be handled by the UFC, although details of the total expense remain unknown.

Ivanka Trump Is Helping Plan The UFC Event

Aiding UFC showrunner Dana White in planning the event is Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump.

In an interview with CBS News in August 2025, White shared that after agreeing to the plans with the president, Trump insisted that his daughter be directly involved in organizing the event.

“When [the president] called me and asked me to do it, he said, ‘I want Ivanka in the middle of this,’” the businessman said.

He added, “So Ivanka reached out to me, and her and I started talking about the possibilities, where it would be, and I put together all the renderings.”

Ivanka, like her father, is known to be a major fan of UFC fights and has been seen attending events with her family since at least 2024.

UFC Reveals Stacked Fight Card

Ahead of the event, the bout list was released on UFC’s official X page earlier in the month.

Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje are set to headline the spectacle in a world lightweight championship match, while another massive showdown is expected when Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane face off for the interim heavyweight championship.

Elsewhere, Sean O’Malley will meet Aiemann Zahabi in a bantamweight battle, while rising contenders like Bo Nickal and Mauricio Ruffy will also look to steal the spotlight in their respective middleweight and lightweight bouts.

Despite the stacked lineup, the card has drawn criticism over its lack of female representation, which some fans have described as a “real missed opportunity” for the sport.

Donald Trump First Confirmed The Event In October

While plans for the event had been rumored since mid-last year, Trump officially announced it during an October speech at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.

“On June 14 next year, we’re gonna have a big UFC fight at the White House, right at the White House, on the grounds of the White House,” the 79-year-old said at the time, per People Magazine.

Earlier this month, he met with four of the fighters and praised them for their involvement in the historic event.

“These are real warriors,” Trump said of the quartet, per USA Today. “When we talk about warriors, these are warriors.”