U.S. President Donald Trump says he will celebrate his 80th birthday with a martial arts cage fight on the White House lawn next year.
According to Trump in a speech in the state of Virginia on Sunday, the event will feature the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and will take place on June 14.
The UFC is the largest professional league for mixed martial arts (MMA), a full-contact combat sport that blends techniques from boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and other martial arts.
Unlike professional wrestling, UFC fights are not choreographed, and it is not uncommon for blood to be drawn or for a fighter to be beaten unconscious.
UFC boss, Dana White, is an ardent Trump fan and a staunch loyalist who campaigned openly for him and has remained a key supporter.
Trump also has long been an admirer of the UFC and has appeared ringside at several events.
When Trump initially floated the idea in June, he linked it to the 250th independence anniversary of U.S. coming up in July.
He however did not explain why his own birthday has now been chosen as the occasion, while speaking before soldiers at Norfolk Naval Base.
In September, the White House released mock-ups previewing the June event to i a classic UFC-style octagon set up on the South Lawn, surrounded by spectator stands and framed by a massive floodlit arch.
White said the UFC would spend about 700,000 dollars to restore the lawn after the event.
The fighters’ weigh-in, traditionally staged as a dramatic face-off, is planned for the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall located about 2 kilometres from the White House.
Built more than a century ago, the memorial will serve as a grand backdrop for the opening salvo of Trump’s birthday brawl. (dpa/NAN)
