To non-combat sports fans, the prospect of human cockfighting on the White House lawn probably seems totally degenerate and part of America’s ongoing slide into “Idiocracy.”
As a combat sports fan, I can’t say I disagree. Yes, I confess to being a longtime fan of combat sports — the traditional ball sports I find mostly tedious and boring by contrast. Watching a bunch of millionaires play games I played as a kid is far less interesting than the drunken fights that break out in the stands. As such, I will say that the event dubbed “UFC Freedom 250” held on Sunday night on the South Lawn of the White House delivered on absurd entertainment.
President Trump, as he often does at major Ultimate Fighting Championship events, sat right in front of the cage to watch the spectacle. First Lady Melania Trump also joined him for the show, as did much of the Trump family. The day of the event, June 14, besides being Flag Day, was also the president’s 80th birthday. Many of the victors made a point of greeting the president as they celebrated their wins.
Absurdity came with the territory. There was something very unique about seeing shirtless men fighting over an ad of an energy drink with an American flag design in front of the White House. On the cage itself was an advertisement for Truth Social, the president of the United States’ go-to social outlet to post his unhinged rants, dubbed “Truths” on the platform, which often send global markets on edge. Probably because of the outdoor setup, the audio was a bit of a mess throughout the event, but the live music from the “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band added to the unique soundscape.
The event indulged in deep patriotism without drowning in it. All of the fighters in the seven-fight event were walked out to the Octagon with a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and a first responder by their side. There was a lifetime supply of American flags and of course there were fireworks. It was all just enough to make you forget the reports Trump was trying to wrap up his haphazard war with Iran.
From a sporting standpoint, many of the fights on the card were clear mismatches, which probably helped ensure all seven fights ended in knockouts or stoppages.
For the most part the event went well, though there were some low moments. For example, Heavyweight slugger Derrick Lewis looked slow, lethargic and even quite pathetic as he got pummeled by the more athletic former football player Josh Hokit, who walked out to the cage to a rendition of “Real American,” which any real American knows as the theme song of Hulk Hogan. Hokit won by stoppage. Instead of getting attention for this win, though, Hokit decided to use his post-fight moment in the spotlight to declare that Michelle Obama is a man. Very edgy for your alcoholic right-wing cousin’s Facebook circa 2013.
No one has ever accused cage fighters of being generally bright or decent people, but luckily that was the lowest moment of the night.
The highlight of the night was the upset victory by Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje over champion Ilia Topuria in the main event. Topuria, 29, was undefeated going into the fight and fresh off a string of knockout victories over highly respected former champions. Betting odds put Topuria as a heavy favorite against the American Gaethje, 37, who for much of his MMA career has been something of a crash test dummy given his often reckless fighting style in which he usually either spectacularly knocks out his opponents or he himself gets knocked out spectacularly.
Gaethje, who indeed survived some rough moments during the fight, ultimately battered Topuria so bad the champion’s eyes were completely swollen and his cornerman called off the fight in between rounds. It was the storybook ending for Gaethje and the event as a whole. The Arizonan Gaethje would go on to credit his father’s German ancestry and his mother’s Mexican roots for his performance.
“Usually, I kind of blank out when it comes to getting ready to walk to the cage,” Gaethje later said, according to the Associated Press. “It was pretty crazy, looking at the Declaration of Independence. The original one. Their language was different. I’m not smart enough to read that.”
Smart or not, Gaethje delivered what will go down as a legendary moment in combat sports across the crazy backdrop of the White House, Truth Social ads and reports of the end of Trump’s failed war on Iran.
What a time to be alive, what a time to be an American.
Sal Rodriguez can be reached at salrodriguez@scng.com