There's already a chokehold on what President Donald Trump is calling the "hottest ticket" that he's ever seen, with people clamoring for up-close access to UFC Freedom 250, the fight night he's staging on the South Lawn of the White House on Flag Day.
The June 14 event, which also falls on the president's birthday, is being planned as a lead-up to America's 250th birthday celebration on July 4, and tickets are already scarce, reports Axios on Thursday.
There will be 5,000 VIP seats around the UFC's Octagon, but most are expected to go to military personnel, leaving only a few thousand seats — and even fewer near the cage — for the D.C. power players who want to see the event and be seen there.
Operatives connected to the White House, as well as the lobbyists around the nation's capital, say they're swamped in requests, with one telling Axios about being sick of being asked about the big match.
Republicans started hammering the White House to ask about VIP tickets almost as soon as the big event was announced last summer.
One senator is saying he wants to bring his family, and a GOP fundraiser close to the White House said there have been dozens of direct messages on social media from people asking how they can get tickets.
Even Trump is being asked for tickets, a person close to preparations for the event said.
It "feels like people are willing to brawl to secure a seat!" Rob Lockwood, a former top aide to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, told Axios.
UFC CEO Dana White said last week that 85,000 tickets will be given away to the public to watch the event on large video screens on the Ellipse, south of the White House grounds.
If fans can't get to Washington, UFC Freedom 250 will be streamed on Paramount+.
The June 14 fight card is headlined by a lightweight bout between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje.
Meanwhile, White and Trump have been meeting periodically to plan the event, and organizers are still working on how VIP tickets near the cage will be distributed.
The prized seats are expected to go to people with influence in Trump's network, with Republican operatives saying major donors to the president's ballroom project, his affiliated super PAC and his inaugural committee will have access. Trump's closest allies on Capitol Hill, and his longtime friends will also likely have more of a shot.
One planner, however, told Axios that many people will come away empty-handed.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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