终极格斗冠军赛于周日晚上在白宫的场地上拉开帷幕，综合武术格斗系列赛在南草坪的一个全尺寸UFC八角形场地下举行。
这项名为“UFC自由250”的活动被宣传为庆祝美国建国250周年——它恰逢唐纳德·特朗普总统的80岁生日。
川普与UFC主席和长期盟友白大拿并肩走出白宫。两人从椭圆形办公室沿着柱廊走出来，然后出现在杜鲁门阳台上。
在那里，播音员欢迎特朗普，说:“欢迎来到UFC自由250，这里是美利坚合众国总统唐纳德·特朗普。”
站在阳台上时，人群中有人喊道:“生日快乐!”赢得了掌声。
查克·布朗·班德和三军联合合唱团一起唱起了国歌。国歌快结束时，一架军用喷气式飞机飞过。
搏击节引发了大量的争议、好奇、金钱和甚至是法律挑战。但是根据白宫的说法，即使恶劣的天气预报中断了这次活动，演出仍将继续。
南草坪现在有一个定制的UFC八角形，有巨大的视频屏幕，爱国舞台和一个巨大的高架结构，名为“爪子”
预计有多少人参加
南草坪的活动只有4 000多名宾客受邀才能入场。但是预计会有更多的人群在椭圆广场观看，靠近林肯纪念堂和白宫外的周边地区。
在5月份椭圆形办公室的一次活动中，特朗普将这场“大战”吹捧为前所未有的事件。“这种事再也不会发生了。以前从未发生过，”他说。“而且都是最好的战士。”
根据特朗普政府提交的法庭文件，预计约有12.5万名客人在白宫及其周围观看比赛，另有7.5万人要求获得门票，这是一项寻求阻止该活动的诉讼的一部分，该诉讼现已被驳回。根据这些文件，预定的活动将耗资超过6000万美元。
法庭文件显示，自特朗普宣布比赛以来的11个月里，超过7个联邦机构为这场比赛的规划做出了巨大努力，数百名工作人员在现场工作。
UFC自由250已被指定为特殊事件评估审查1事件，随着类似于超级保龄球这样的赛事的安全性我喜欢肯塔基赛马会。官员们说，椭圆广场的观看派对需要门票，粉丝们必须通过类似TSA的安检。
据负责特勤局华盛顿办事处的特工塔拉·麦克利塞(Tara McLeese)称，美国特勤局正在与美国公园警察合作保障安全。
官员们说，没有已知的可信的威胁事件。
关于成本、赞助商需要了解什么
白宫表示，尽管法院文件称这七家机构“分配了大量资源和人力”，但UFC仍在支付费用。
这些文件没有具体说明政府在这次活动上花费了多少资源，但表示这七个机构包括总统行政办公室、美国特勤局、美国公园警察、内政部、国家公园管理局、国土安全部和美国联邦航空管理局。
此次活动的安保费用也将由纳税人承担。
值得注意的是，不同赞助商的标志被放置在八角形的网格边和填充角上，正如周四在竞技场的新闻预览中看到的那样。许多公司与特朗普关系密切:摩根&摩根，百威，道奇公羊，电晕额外和Polymarket，一个有争议的预测市场。
Polymarket的赞助正值白宫工作人员和盟友已经担心潜在的内幕交易，因为预测市场的押注受到审查。
一名白宫官员4月份告诉美国广播公司，白宫在3月份的一封电子邮件中警告员工不要进行与伊朗战争有关的预测市场押注。该警告是在3月24日发出的，当时人们对Polymarket等预测市场上的内幕交易的担忧加剧，此前一些可疑的押注被发现，时间奇怪地接近与伊朗战争和伊拉克战争有关的重大军事事件美国在委内瑞拉的军事行动.
当被问及他们是否警告过政府工作人员不要押注于多元市场或其他预测市场时，白宫没有立即回应美国广播公司新闻，因为这尤其与UFC比赛有关。
何时以及如何观看
UFC自由250将于美国东部时间周日晚上8点在派拉蒙+播出。
根据UFC的说法，这项赛事将由两场冠军赛占据头条:Ilia Topuria和Justin Gaethje争夺轻量级冠军，Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane争夺重量级临时冠军。还会有其他五场比赛。
据UFC称，本周末围绕UFC Freedom 250 fight的其他特色活动包括身临其境的粉丝体验、UFC运动员的现场表演、明星亮相和独家舞台时刻，以及见面和问候、现场音乐和UFC Freedom 250仪式称重。
关于天气知道什么
由于天气原因，该赛事面临重大威胁。
周五，天气频道预测华盛顿周日下午有62%的可能性会有雷暴。周末的高温也可能给战士们带来挑战，预计周日最高气温将达到90度。
然而，UFC主席白大拿本周坚称，不管天气预报如何，周日的比赛都会继续进行。
“标准的天气应急计划已经到位，以确保总统和所有顾客的安全，”根据一名白宫官员的说法，并补充说:“持票的客人将通过UFC的ticketmaster系统接收所有活动信息。”
Trump and Dana White kick off UFC event on the White House South Lawn
The Ultimate Fighting Championship match has kicked off Sunday evening on the grounds of the White House, with the mixed martial arts fight series taking place on the South Lawn under a full-scale UFC Octagon.
The event, called "UFC Freedom 250," is billed as a celebration of America's 250th anniversary -- and it coincides with President Donald Trump's 80th birthday.
Trump exited the White House side-by-side with UFC president and longtime ally, Dana White. The two walked from the Oval Office along the colonnade before appearing on the Truman Balcony.
There, the announcer welcomed Trump, saying, "Welcome to UFC Freedom 250, here is the President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump."
While standing on the balcony, someone in the crowd shouted, "happy birthday!" which was met with applause.
The Zac Brown Band, along with the Armed Forces Joint Chorus, sang the National Anthem. A military jet flyover occurred towards the end of the anthem.
The fight fest has sparked an immense amount of controversy, curiosity, money andeven a legal challenge. But the show will go on, according to the White House -- even if severe weather forecasts disrupt the event.
The South Lawn now holds a custom-built UFC Octagon and features giant video screens, patriotic staging and a massive overhead structure, named "The Claw."
How many people are expected to attend
Admission to the South Lawn event is invitation-only for over 4,000 guests. But a much larger crowd is expected to watch on The Ellipse, near the Lincoln Memorial and surrounding areas outside of the White House grounds.
At an event in the Oval Office in May, Trump touted the "big fight" as an unprecedented event. "It's never gonna happen again. Never happened before," he said. "And it's all of the best fighters."
Roughly 125,000 guests are expected at and around the White House complex for the fights and an additional 75,000 people requested tickets, according to court documents submitted by the Trump administration as part of a now-rejected lawsuit seeking to block the event. The scheduled events will cost more than $60 million, according to the documents.
The court documents show that planning for the event has been a monumental effort from more than seven federal agencies, with hundreds of staff working onsite in the 11 months since Trump announced the fight.
UFC Freedom 250 has been designated a Special Event Assessment Review 1 event,withsecurity similar to an event like the Super Bowl or the Kentucky Derby. Tickets are required for the watch party on the Ellipse and fans will have to pass through TSA-like screening, officials said.
The United States Secret Service is partnering with the U.S. Park Police for security, according to Tara McLeese, special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Washington Field Office.
Officials have said there are no known credible threats to the event.
What to know about costs, sponsors
The White House said the UFC is covering the costs despite the fact that the court filing states that the seven agencies have "allocated significant resources and manpower."
The documents are not specific about the extent of government resources that have been spent on the event but said the seven agencies include the Executive Office of the President, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Park Police, the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Security for the event will be fronted by taxpayers too.
Notably, different sponsors' logos are placed on mesh sides and padded corners of the Octagon, as seen during the press preview of the arena on Thursday. Many of the companies have close ties to Trump: Morgan&Morgan, Bud Light, Dodge Ram, Corona Extra and Polymarket, a controversial prediction market.
The Polymarket sponsorship comes at a time when there are already concerns about potential insider trading among White House staff and allies as betting on prediction markets have come under scrutiny.
The White House warned staff in an email in March not to make prediction market bets related to the Iran war, a White House official told ABC in April. The warning came March 24 amid heightened concerns of insider trading on prediction markets like Polymarket after some suspicious bets were uncovered, timed oddly close to major military events related to the Iran war andU.S. military action in Venezuela.
The White House did not immediately respond to ABC News when asked whether they have warned administration staff about betting on Polymarket or other prediction markets as it relates to the UFC fight in particular.
When and how to watch
UFC Freedom 250 will air on Paramount+ in the U.S. at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday.
According to the UFC, the event will be headlined by two title matches: Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje for the Lightweight title and Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane for the Heavyweight Interim title. There will also be five other matches.
Other featured events surrounding the UFC Freedom 250 fight this weekend, according to the UFC, including immersive fan experiences, live shows featuring UFC athletes, celebrity appearances and exclusive on-stage moments, plus meet and greets, live music and the UFC Freedom 250 Ceremonial Weigh-in.
What to know about the weather
The event is encountering significant threats due to weather.
On Friday, The Weather Channel's forecast for Sunday in D.C. projects a 62% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. The weekend heat may also pose a challenge for the fighters, with highs expected to go up to 90 degrees on Sunday.
UFC President Dana White insisted this week, however, that Sunday's event would move forward regardless of the forecast.
"Standard contingency plans for weather are in place to ensure the safety of the President and all patrons," according to a White House official, adding: "Ticketed guests will receive all event communication through UFC's ticketmaster system."
