Trump, bald eagles and Zac Brown Band: Inside the UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest

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Natalie Keyssar for NBC News

Mixed Martial Arts

Ahead of the UFC fight card on the White House lawn, thousands descended on Washington, D.C., to celebrate the sport and country.

June 14, 2026, 2:22 PM EDT

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Any norm and presumption of etiquette you thought existed within the hallowed White House grounds, consider it shattered this weekend.

Walking around the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, it was as if you entered a festival taking place anywhere around the country.

But look past the Monster Energy-branded main stage and you’ll see in the distance — past the motocross bikes doing jumps and flips-off of a ramp, and past the 600-ton, 92-foot “Claw” — there’s the Truman Balcony of the White House, where tonight UFC fighters will step in before heading down toward the South Lawn Octagon to fight until someone is knocked out.

Thousands of fans gathered Saturday afternoon on the Ellipse for Freedom 250’s “Fan Fest” event, a sprawling fair of booths and vendors set up in the park south of the White House to celebrate the UFC Fight planned for Sunday night. Natalie Keyssar for NBC News

Tens of thousands of people — mostly young men — have traveled from across the country to be here this weekend. They’ve flown from Ohio or Tennessee, and driven from New Jersey, and are now standing in line for a chance to meet a fighter they have spent years watching — some even idolizing. For a chance to see Zac Brown Band. For a chance to see a bald eagle fly across the crowd. And for a chance to watch history unfold Sunday night.

“Americans,” Landon Higdon from Kentucky said, “We like watching people fight.”

While UFC CEO Dana White has said he would be paying for the event’s production — more than $60 million — one look at the hundreds of federal law enforcement officers from every agency you could think of roaming the crowd makes it clear there are significant government resources going toward this event.

Was this a good use of taxpayer dollars?

“I’ve seen worse uses of it,” Mark Bates of Michigan said, “for a lot worse than this.”

“They spend our tax dollars on all kinds of stupid stuff,” Matthew Ayers said. “Just add it to the list.”

Washington, D.C.,

National Guard members pose for a photos with the "Monster Energy girls." — Washington, D.C., National Guard members pose for a photos with the “Monster Energy girls.” Natalie Keyssar for NBC News

Everywhere you looked, there was a sponsorship: the “Monster Energy” booth, where attendees could get a free can of Monster and a photo with “Monster Energy girls,” the Bud Light bar, the Jose Cuervo stand and the Dodge Ram truck “experience.” For $16, you could stand in line at the New Amsterdam Vodka booth for a “Jalapeño Slam” — $28 if you wanted a “Final Round Espresso.”

The UFC also had several booths where they were selling limited-edition “UFC Freedom 250” apparel.

And then there was the main stage — with more Monster Energy signage — sandwiched between two massive Jumbotrons where fans will watch the main event Sunday night, beginning at 8 p.m. ET, rain or shine.

“There’s nothing ever like this going to happen again,” Steven Crouse of New Jersey told NBC News. “It’s definitely unique.”