(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that a previously announced Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House will take place on June 14 next year, which will be the president’s 80th birthday.
He made the announcement during a speech at Naval Station Norfolk to mark the upcoming 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy.
Trump in July had announced that a UFC event would take place at the White House in 2026, but did not give a date.
He counts UFC President Dana White as a close friend and considers fans of the sport part of his political base, although their ties long predate Trump’s presidency.
White this week told the Sports Business Journal that the UFC will spend $700,000 to replace the South Lawn grass at the White House after the event.
Since becoming president, Trump has been a regular attendee at UFC fights, most recently attending one in New Jersey in June. But the relationship between Trump and White goes back to 2000, when the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City was one of the few U.S. venues willing to host UFC events at the time.
TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of UFC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Colorado; editing by Diane Craft)
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