A federal lawsuit filed late Saturday seeks to stop the June 14 UFC Freedom 250 event planned for the South Lawn of the White House.
The filing by the Public Integrity Project in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia accuses the Department of Interior and National Park Service of breaking federal law by coordinating a private sports event on public property without congressional approval for its construction sites.
An emergency application for a preliminary injunction was submitted early Sunday in the same court to prevent the event from taking place.
The plaintiffs claim that the event violates Park Service regulations, asserting that construction of the UFC’s claw stadium structure on the South Lawn requires congressional authorization because the area constitutes federal parkland.
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The lawsuit also alleges that no environmental review occurred before a “major federal action” that might significantly affect environmental quality.
Brendan Ballou, the lead attorney for the Public Integrity Project, said, “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.”
Ballou added that he expects a ruling on the emergency injunction application during the week.
The Public Integrity Project describes itself as an anti-corruption law firm with Washington offices.
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A Trump administration official criticized the lawsuit in an emailed statement to ESPN on Sunday, calling it “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 official continued, “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.”
ESPN reported that messages seeking comment from the UFC, Department of Interior, National Park Service, and Department of Justice were not returned.
According to scheduling plans, the UFC organized its news conference for Friday night in front of the Lincoln Memorial, weigh-ins for Saturday at the Ellipse, and fights for Sunday at the White House, aligning with President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
The lawsuit, however, references only the White House and Lincoln Memorial in its legal violation allegations and incorrectly states that the weigh-in will be at the Lincoln Memorial instead of the news conference.
Ballou said, “Ultimately, we want to stop this fight, this weigh-in and the permanent installation of the quote-unquote claw. 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.”
He said the decision to file came after June 4 reporting indicated that the UFC was financing and organizing the event.
UFC CEO Dana White previously told ESPN that the event could cost up to $60 million and that his organization is paying for it.
The suit contends that the UFC card “does not satisfy the conditions for authorization” under a temporary rule allowing semiquincentennial special events this year.
According to the filing, the event does not celebrate American independence and is not planned by the federal government.
The suit asserts that it is being conducted by the UFC and serves as a celebration of both the UFC and Trump’s birthday rather than the nation.
White told ESPN in May that the fights are designed 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 complaint further alleges that UFC Freedom 250 is not organized by any “executive department or agency” other than for security purposes and that “no official semiquincentennial commission is planning, organizing and executing the event either.”
For these reasons, the plaintiffs claim the event does not qualify for the America 250 special event exemption.
The filing also maintains that no special events besides ceremonies honoring President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday are permitted at the Lincoln Memorial.
The affiliation of Freedom 250—one of two organizations involved in U.S. 250th anniversary programming—remains unclear.
Media accounts differ on whether the Freedom 250 group is participating, even though the event’s name matches.
As of Sunday morning, the Freedom 250 website did not list the UFC Freedom 250 event, though it did include other offerings such as the Great American State Fair and FIFA World Cup fan zone, and it named the UFC among its sponsors.
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