During UFC 326 in March, fans got their first look at the main card for the White House mixed martial arts event, which was first mentioned by President Donald Trump last July. Headlined by Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, with Ciryl Gane and Alex Pereira as the co-main event, UFC Freedom 250 will be held on the South Lawn in front of a private audience and streamed exclusively on Paramount+ on June 14. Nearby, the Ellipse will host a watch party for up to approximately 85,000 members of the general public.

Plans seemed solid—at least until the following month, when President Trump attended UFC 327 and asked UFC president Dana White why Derrick Lewis was not on the June 14 card.…