TOM LEONARD: Trump's tacky fight night was Colosseum combat... but with corporate sponsors

By TOM LEONARD, US CORRESPONDENT Published: 23:16, 15 June 2026 | Updated: 23:20, 15 June 2026 As the fighters beat each other to a pulp and sent blood splattering all over the dazzlingly lit ring's floor, the night's festivities would occasionally be interrupted by a favoured gladiator paying homage to the man they'd come to celebrate. One draped a chain over his neck, another crouched next to him for a few private words. It was pure Roman Colosseum, without the lions and tigers but with corporate sponsors, only the venue was this time the historic South Lawn of the White House. Caesar was, of course, the US President, lapping up every second of an event on Sunday night that for many Americans set a new low in Donald Trump tackiness. He controversially chose to celebrate his 80th birthday and – although it officially happens next month – the 250th anniversary of American independence by hosting a cage fight organised by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), whose owner is a friend and staunch supporter of the president. A vast 92ft-tall, 600-ton steel arch contraption called the Claw was erected on a patch of hallowed grass where previous presidents have feted visiting heads of state such as the Queen, practised golf strokes or hosted dignified dinners for war veterans. There was little dignity on display on Sunday night but a great deal of raw male testosterone as Trump and his wife, Melania, sat impassively in the front row, inches away from the carnage behind the cage's chain fence. They were joined by senior administration officials and Trump family members as well as more than 4,000 UFC fans, including members of the military who were only allowed to attend if they weren't overweight. US President Donald Trump staged the UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House to coincide with his 80th birthday Celebrity cage fighting fans such as Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg and British heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury, accompanied by his wife Paris, were also invited. Fury wore a 'Trump For Prime Minister' hat bearing the US and UK flags. They were all treated to seven vicious bouts – cage fighting (also known as mixed martial arts) often makes boxing look refined – inside an octagon-shaped ring in which fighters are allowed to kick, punch, elbow and wrestle each other as they search for that knockout blow. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had described the cage match – hailed by the White House as a centrepoint of its 'freedom celebrations' marking US independence from Britain – as a 'gift to the American people'. The event's tawdriness was reinforced by the prominent presence of corporate sponsors, their adverts on show around the ring, and the TV commentators even plugging them during the fight. Mr Trump's event was Colosseum fighting with corporate sponsorship, Tom Leonard writes The main sponsors included Bud Light beer, a cryptocurrency trading platform and Polymarket, a controversial online betting site accused of encouraging Trump administration insider trading by allowing people to wager on virtually anything. In between rounds, UFC 'Octagon girls' appeared wearing revealing outfits with a stars-and-stripes theme. The event was live-streamed on a subscription TV channel owned by yet more super-wealthy Trump allies. Even the hallowed interior of the White House wasn't spared the vulgarity. The fighters were filmed strutting along its corridors and emerging from the Oval Office, while the TV broadcast's four burly UFC analysts were seated on gold-legged chairs in the rarefied Green Room. Even they admitted on air that they couldn't believe they were there. 'This is insane!' exclaimed one of them, former British UFC fighter Michael Bisping. 'They let us in the White House! This is crazy man!' Many Americans would wholeheartedly agree. According to a recent poll, only 16 per cent of them considered the event appropriate, rejecting Trump administration claims that cage fighting perfectly embodies the country's rugged spirit. Trump had boasted of it being 'the greatest show on earth'. Mr Trump was pictured in the ring with his wife, First Lady Melania (centre), and UFC's president and CEO Dana White (left) However, political pundits believe Sunday's macho fight fest was principally intended to win over the young men who constitute cage fighting's main fan base and who are a large part of the so-called 'manosphere'. They voted for Trump in large numbers in the 2024 election but polls show their support has dropped off – a key factor in his popularity among voters sinking to what is almost the lowest point in his political career. Even so, the administration attempted to invest the brawl with as much gravitas as it could, chiefly by giving it a strong military flavour. As fireworks erupted when Trump appeared alongside UFC boss Dana White (who was footing the £45million bill for the event), the US Marine Band started to play – and it continued to do so throughout the night. A military colour guard stood at attention and a fighter jet flyover was provided by the US Navy's Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds. Cage fighting is definitely Trump country. During the 1980s and 1990s, he put on big boxing matches featuring stars such as Mike Tyson and George Foreman at his casinos and hotels. Over the years, he has done his best to help cage fighting shake off its grubby prize fighter image – a US senator once called it 'human cockfighting' – and enter the sporting mainstream. Middleweight fighter Bo Nickal praised Trump for having 'the balls' to put on an event that provided two fingers to his critics. Fighter Justin Gaethje was an underdog who stunned his opponent Ilia Topuria to win his White House fight Another fighter, Diego Lopes, leapt to the top of the cage after winning, facing the White House with arms wide, sending the audience into paroxysms of patriotic cheering. Nothing was considered too crass. Even after heavyweight Josh Hokit – wearing an American-flag bandana and sunglasses – had derided a former First Lady in a post-fight interview, saying: 'Lastly, Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?', he was allowed to present Trump with his gold-chain necklace. President Theodore Roosevelt hosted White House boxing matches in which he often took part but stopped in 1905 when he was blinded in one eye. There was never any question of Trump putting on the gloves, although he did come into the cage to congratulate the night's main winner, Justin Gaethje. 'Hey, I'm from America, 250 years ago we were way more than 6-1 underdogs,' bragged Gaethje about their victory over the British. 'I know that was absolutely legendary because I cannot even believe it.' Pundits say Sunday's event could energise Trump supporters. Others will just be wondering if this administration can sink any lower in making a travesty of the office of the President. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.