WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump is bringing his affinity for mixed martial arts to the White House, staging a night of cage fighting on the South Lawn on June 14 — his 80th birthday — as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. The seven-bout Ultimate Fighting Championship event, dubbed “UFC Freedom 250,” will blend sport with political spectacle, highlighting Trump’s long-standing ties to a league whose leaders and many of its fans have backed him for more than a decade. Why UFC? Trump’s alliance with UFC dates to the early 2000s, when he agreed to host events at his since-bankrupt Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as other venues spurned the sport. Trump “gave us our start when nobody would talk to us,” UFC CEO Dana White told Fox News in 2018. White became a close ally, using the sport’s popularity — particularly with younger male fans — to support Trump’s campaigns dating back to his first run in 2016. In 2019, Trump became the first sitting president to attend a UFC match. His appearances have become part of the spectac
