{"id":738339,"date":"2026-06-15T15:48:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T15:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/738339\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T15:48:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T15:48:12","slug":"trumps-mma-extravaganza-was-the-ultimate-symbol-of-our-dark-american-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/738339\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s MMA Extravaganza Was The Ultimate Symbol Of Our Dark American Moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Like so many moments in the second Trump administration, the Ultimate Fighting Championship\u2019s \u201cFreedom 250\u201d event on Sunday night began with money flowing to the president\u2019s allies. The night of mixed martial arts bouts, which were staged on the White House\u2019s South Lawn, was billed by<\/a> President Donald Trump\u2019s Cabinet as a \u201cgift to the American people.\u201d However, the public was only able to watch it with a subscription to Paramount Plus, the streaming arm of the media conglomerate owned by billionaire Trump backer Larry Ellison.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As TPM\u2019s resident martial arts correspondent<\/a>, I dutifully ponied up my subscription fee and tuned in for the more than five hour spectacle. The required payment to Paramount was just one of many ways the event pulled viewers in to the swampy mix of business deals and presidential power that has been a hallmark of the Trump era.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Overall, the evening exemplified the new flavors of American life and power. By the time the last punch landed and the blood was wiped away, the night included suspicious stiff armed salutes, transphobic insults, and fresh allegations of sexual assault as well as pitches for Silicon Valley AI, crypto, prediction markets, and the Saudi regime.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFreedom 250\u201d took place on Trump\u2019s 80th birthday and was reportedly fully funded<\/a> by the UFC. It also gave the president an opportunity to personally cash in. The broadcast consistently featured ads for RealTrumpCoins.com<\/a>, a venture from the president\u2019s licensing company<\/a> that is selling UFC branded medallions purportedly<\/a> \u201cauthorized and endorsed\/designed by President Trump himself.\u201d This \u201cofficial President Trump gold and silver,\u201d which costs between $249.99 and $11,999.99 was adorned with the president\u2019s face.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

This near perfect microcosm of MAGA excess and corruption was the latest chapter of the longstanding relationship between the global right wing and martial arts<\/a>. For Trump, that history has included decades of earning cash<\/a> from boxing and wrestling, multiple figures in his two administrations whose careers include combat sports and pro wrestling, a deep association with the \u201cmanosphere\u201d that has evolved from the MMA world, and even some family members who are stepping into the ring<\/a>. Trump\u2019s FBI director, Kash Patel, also made his own murky deal<\/a> with the UFC.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 JUNE 15: U.S. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, UFC CEO Dana White and other guests stand inside the Octagon at UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House on June 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump is hosting a series of Ultimate Fighting Championship matches on his 80th birthday, which the White House is calling \u201ca once-in-a-generation celebration of the American fighting spirit.\u201d (Photo by Evan Vucci \u2013 Pool\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Along with all that, there is also a strong relationship between Ellison\u2019s media empire and Trump. Last July, just before the mogul purchased Paramount, the company made a questionable $16 million payment<\/a> to the president. The following month, Paramount unveiled a multibillion dollar exclusive streaming deal<\/a> with the UFC. And, as this was all unfolding, Ellison and his son pushed the company\u2019s CBS News arm sharply to the right<\/a> as Trump began floating<\/a> the idea of fights on the White House lawn.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The weekend of events in Washington began with a report<\/a> from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on Saturday that one of the event\u2019s headliners, heavyweight Alex \u201cPoatan\u201d Pereira, had been accused of abuse by two women. Pereira has denied the allegations. The CBC\u2019s coverage was based on court records<\/a> and depositions reviewed by the network. It makes Pereira the latest of several MAGA-aligned figures \u2014 including the president himself<\/a> \u2014 to face accusations of sexual assault.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the White House, Pereira was defeated by Cyril Gane via TKO in the second round after weathering a series of overpowering strikes. There were seven bouts on the Trumpian card and \u2014 for the first time in UFC history \u2014 each of the fights on the card ended in a knockout or TKO.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Along with the knockdowns, the fights featured a notable political attack. After defeating heavyweight Derrick Lewis (who the event\u2019s announcers repeatedly referred to by his nickname \u201cThe Black Beast\u201d), Josh Hokit attacked former first lady Michelle Obama in a post-fight interview with podcaster and UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan.<\/p>\n

\u201cMichelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?\u201d Hokit shouted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLadies and gentlemen, Josh Hokit,\u201d said Rogan.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Almost all of the bouts featured at least one American combatant. The audience, which included a large contingent of military service members, generally cheered for their countrymen with chants of \u201cUSA!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of the Americans who received this treatment was Sean O\u2019Malley, who had announced<\/a> that he planned \u201con hitting a little salute to Trump\u201d in the leadup to his bout. After O\u2019Malley defeated Canadian Aiemann Zahabi, he repeatedly made a gesture<\/a> that started with a typical salute, hand to forehead, and ended with his arm stuck straight forward at an angle. The move sparked debate online<\/a> over whether it was intended to resemble a Nazi salute. At one point, O\u2019Malley, who has a history of alleged racism<\/a>, delivered the \u201csalute\u201d directly in front of the president<\/a>. The UFC and the White House did not respond to questions from TPM about the gesture\u2019s apparent similarity to the fascist salute, which has also been a feature<\/a> of Trump\u2019s MAGA movement<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Some of the most notable symbols displayed during the evening came on the ring itself. The UFC\u2019s signature caged \u201coctagon\u201d was festooned with ads for the Silicon Valley weapons manufacturer Anduril, Meta AI, multiple gambling and cryptocurrency ventures, including one owned by the Trump family<\/a>, and a festival in Riyadh that has been criticized<\/a> as part of the Saudi regime\u2019s \u201csportwashing\u201d attempts to paper over their human rights abuses<\/a>. The display of these ads for questionably ethical enterprises on the White House grounds would seem to be a clear violation of federal regulations against the use of public office to promote or endorse commercial enterprises. Of course, under Trump those regulations \u2014 along with various other prohibitions against the president profiting from his office \u2014 seem to have been knocked out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By the end of \u201cFreedom 250,\u201d along with all the ads, the octagon was covered in blood after Ilia Topuria suffered a brutal beating at the hands of Justin Gaethje. According to the ringside commentators, the ringside doctor tried to stop the fight but was overruled. Afterwards, the announcers reported that Topuria had been taken to the hospital and they speculated he had suffered orbital fractures. With the White House fully turned into a venue for blatant profiteering and sneering gladiatorial spectacle, it was clear that the fighter\u2019s face wasn\u2019t the only thing that had been broken.\u00a0<\/p>\n