Donald Trump makes boastful UFC Freedom 250 claim after Joe Rogan criticism
U.S. President Donald Trump has made his latest boastful claim about UFC Freedom 250 by predicting it to be "the highest-rated event maybe ever in sports".The June 14 event, set to be headlined by Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje and take place on the South Lawn of the White House, is now less than two weeks away, and with construction already in place following an extensive operation, excitement is truly building.Over the past week, a customized 4,300-seat open-air arena featuring a giant metal dome known as "The Claw" and an 87-foot canopy to light the Octagon has begun to take shape under the direction of UFC CEO Dana White's team, completely transforming the grounds of the White House.Once completed, it will be an arena like no other, while on the opposite side of the street at The Ellipse, a custom-built UFC fanzone will show the fight on large screens to approximately 85,000 spectators.Not only will in-person attendance be monumental for a UFC event, but President Trump is also expecting viewing figures to outperform those of any other sporting event, given the global interest."It's right at the front door of the White House," Trump said in an exclusive interview with Fox Nation, per Bloody Elbow. "You'll never see it again, and it's never happened before."It's going to be great, and the UFC's gonna have all the best fighters in the world coming that night. Dana is an amazing man, and he's done an amazing job; he's put together something that will be the highest-rated event, maybe ever in sports."What he's done is amazing. I'm not sure anybody could've done it but him. You don't usually say that, but not many people could've, he's a very special man."Much has been made not only of the UFC White House event but also of construction on the South Lawn, with President Trump facing intense criticism since work began in the capital last week.Some of that criticism even came from UFC color commentator and renowned podcast host Joe Rogan, who pleaded with the 79-year-old to change the event's location or, at a minimum, "build a roof" to help combat the intense outdoor conditions."The White House thing is odd. I don't like it," Rogan began on his Powerful JRE MMA show. "I don't like the idea of fighting outside at all. And then it's June, and it's DC, and we looked it up the last time, like last year, same day; it was 100 degrees. That's hot as f---."Former UFC fighter Josh Thomson and veteran referee John McCarthy, who had joined Rogan on his show, also pointed toward the bug issue, which White claims will be dealt with by using big fans."I just don't think that you should compete in a world championship fight in a non-controlled environment. I think it should be inside an air-conditioned arena. It should be a controlled environment," Rogan added.
