\n\t\the UFC<\/a>\u2019s Freedom 250 event on June 14 took over the White House<\/a>\u2019s South Lawn with an explosion of violence<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe event, held specifically on President Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s 80th birthday, was the result of a long relationship between Trump and UFC President Dana White, which has crossed political, personal, and professional lines for years. White used the event to unleash a torrent of advertising across the heart of American democracy, while Trump made it into a vital gathering place for the elites at the heart of his political movement. If you want a future in the MAGA movement, you had to be there \u2014 and if you wanted a piece of the biggest stage in the nation, you had to pay up and put your brand on the ring.<\/p>\n \n\tBoth groups \u2014 politicians and business tycoons \u2014 showed up for the fight, filling out a roughly 4,000-capacity arena that the UFC custom built for the event. Around the upper edge of the bleachers, hundreds of uniformed military members also watched, while the general public was relegated to a much larger watch party on the Ellipse, a grassy park space across from the South Lawn. The Ellipse drew tens of thousands of fans, many of whom spent the whole weekend in D.C. wandering around the city in UFC gear and attending the many press conferences, weigh-ins, and fan events put on before the fight.<\/p>\n \n\tBut the real draw was the fights. On Sunday night, despite the advertising blitz and bad optics, the UFC\u2019s talent delivered. Seven fights. Seven knockouts. Sure, you could argue most of the fights were mismatches, but the final fight of the night \u2014 a massive upset where American Justin Gaethje beat Spanish lightweight champion Ilia Topura so badly the Spaniard was forced to quit in between rounds \u2014 was pure MMA magic. It was almost enough to wash away the circus of crony capitalism that came before it. Almost.<\/p>\n \n\tRolling Stone photo editor Sacha Lecca was cage-side at the event, capturing bloody knockouts as well as the moments of political intrigue outside of the cage.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tThe octagon sat directly on the South Lawn of the White House, a dramatic backdrop for a cage match.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tTrump and White entered the event together, standing on the White House steps during the national anthem.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tMusical guests Zac Brown Band performed the anthem for Trump, the night after playing a show in the Ellipse for fans. Brown responded to criticism by arguing that it was about \u201cpatriotism, not politics.\u201d Rolling Stone\u2019s Marissa R. Moss disagrees<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tPolice officers stood guard on the edge of the stadium, with cranes used for Trump\u2019s White House Ballroom project looming in the background.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tMark Zuckerberg has been a UFC fan and corporate partner for years. The event on Sunday showcased the Meta CEO\u2019s ties to the Trump administration, where he sat close to the president and his most important advisers \u2014 including Stephen Miller, the chief architect of Trump\u2019s brutal immigration policies. After initial clashes, Zuckerberg and Miller reached an understanding earlier this year<\/a>, and Zuckerberg has been much more friendly to the Trump administration since.<\/p>\n \n\tZuckerberg is also one of the only true UFC fans among the high-powered corporate class. He trains in Brazilian jiu jitsu and MMA personally, and has competed in the former. A brief stunt in which he offered to fight fellow tech titan Elon Musk never panned out, however, despite the fact that Dana White said he would host the fight.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tTrump sat cageside the entire night, congratulating each of the winners.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tDiego Lopes, a Brazilian fighter who trains in Mexico, won the first fight of the night, knocking out Steve Garcia. Every one of the seven fights on the card ended in a knockout, including the two high-profile co-main events that closed out the show. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tNew England Patriots owner Bob Kraft was in attendance. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tReferee Mike Beltran checked in on the defeated Steve Garcia as Diego Lopes climbs the fence.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tFBI Director Kash Patel, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Sen. Lindsey Graham, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. all attended the fight.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tAmerican wrestler Bo Nickal, one of Trump\u2019s favorite fighters, pinned down his opponent in an early fight.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhotos by Sacha Lecca<\/p>\n \n\tWhite, Trump, and Melania Trump watched fighters grapple on the ground. Melania\u2019s presence at the fight was a rare event, as Trump usually attends UFC fights alone. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tMauricio Ruffy, a young and talented Brazilian fighter, quickly defeated American Michael Chandler, who was determined to win at the White House.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tWhite, Zuckerberg, Trump, and British boxer Tyson Fury celebrated the violence.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tRuffy connected with a head kick on Chandler that helped end the fight.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tChandler wrapped himself in an American flag as he exited the arena.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tThe UFC\u2019s \u201cOctagon Girls\u201d wore custom, American flag-themed outfits.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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