Trump To Celebrate 80th Birthday With Cage Fights Outside White House

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Bernama-dpa) -- US President Donald Trump turns 80 on Sunday and he is planning to watch a combat sports event taking place directly in front of the White House to celebrate his birthday, reported German Press Agency (dpa). 

From 8pm  (0000GMT on Monday), the professional combat sports league Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is scheduled to stage seven cage fights for mixed martial arts (MMA) there.

MMA is an often bloody combat sport that combines techniques including boxing, wrestling, kickboxing, karate and jiu jitsu.

A cage in the typical octagon format has been set up for the event on the White House's South Lawn, surrounded by stands for more than 4,000 spectators and covered by a giant dome.

More than 120,000 visitors are also expected at a fan festival in nearby Ellipse Park.

The official occasion is the celebration of the 250th anniversary of US independence. However, the anniversary falls on July 4.

Critics sought unsuccessfully to block the event through legal action. They argued that Trump is allowing his longtime friend and ally Dana White, the president of the UFC, and the organisation to use the White House grounds to promote a private, profit-making sporting event.

Meanwhile, the anti-Trump No Kings movement has called for nationwide events to coincide with the start of the fight spectacle.

Rather than staging traditional street protests, supporters are being encouraged to host “watch parties” in homes, community centres and local businesses to watch a concert held in New York to celebrate the first amendment to the US constitution, which includes guarantees of freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly.

-- BERNAMA-dpa