UFC Freedom 250 proves how far the sport has come in 30 years
Josh Peter previews the main card of this MMA fight at the White House and looks back at how the sport has grown.
Paparazzi assigned to the UFC event at the White House on June 14 may perform light duty that night. Because some celebrities aren’t jumping at the chance to witness history on the South Lawn of the White House.
In fact, Vanity Fair reports that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Adam Sandler, Jared Leto and Mario Lopez will not be attending despite receiving invitations.
There’s no word on other celebrities who reportedly received invitations to the seven-game event, including Tom Brady, Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham.
Approximately 4,300 people will be seated in the temporary arena, so tickets are expected to be extremely difficult to obtain. UFC CEO Dana White said President Donald Trump had 1,000 tickets, White had 200 tickets and the remaining 200 went to Ariel Emanuel, CEO of the holding company that owns the UFC.
It’s unclear why The Rock, Sandler and others would receive a pass. Is it because of gnats? Is there a chance of rain? Were 85,000 people expected to watch on the big screen across the street?
“The event is a real draw for Trump’s Washington darlings and the D.C. MAGA crowd rejoicing in the construction of a giant light fixture called ‘The Crow’ that now towers over the White House,” writes Vanity Fair’s Aidan McLaughlin, “but there’s one group likely to avoid the event: big-name celebrities.”
