President Donald Trump's summer sports spectacle kicks off this weekend in Washington with a series of mixed martial arts events on the White House lawn.
The first event kicks off at 8 p.m. ET, according to the UFC schedule.
While Congress has established a nonpartisan commission to plan events around the country's 250th anniversary, the Trump administration created its own group, Freedom 250, which scheduled the UFC fights and then an Indy Grand Prix auto race around the National Mall later this summer.
Additionally, the FIFA World Cup, which was awarded to the United States, Canada, and Mexico in 2018 during Trump's first White House term, kicked off this week.
Trump, a longtime UFC fan, for months has touted the construction of a temporary, massive arena on the South Lawn of the White House. The arena, which can seat roughly 4,300 spectators, features a star-spangled banner high above the Octagon stage.
Sunday's $60 million event is fully funded by the UFC.
Trump's campaign to showcase the UFC events from the White House could possibly appeal to his base of support, especially working-class voters and younger men.
“The way this is being presented is as a celebration, and really, to me and from my Midwestern roots, it looks like a county fair that they're holding on the White House lawn,” according to Galen Clavio, who leads the Indiana University sports media program. “That is a very recognizable symbol for a lot of the people who you would consider to be rank-and-file MAGA members.”
But critics have accused Trump of “sportswashing,” or using major sporting events to boost his own administration’s image and project power, despite ongoing domestic and foreign challenges.
Meanwhile, the FBI has beefed up security for Sunday's festivities, with the FBI’s Washington field office warning that drones are strictly prohibited during the UFC Freedom 250 events.