From die-hard MMA followers to Trump loyalists, attendees embraced a weekend of fights that transformed Washington into an unlikely arena.
WASHINGTON (AP) – One by one, the burly mixed martial arts fighters made their entrance past the solemn marble statue of America’s 16th president and sprinted down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to roars from thousands of fans drawn by unusual sports weekend marking the 250th anniversary of the nation and President of Donald Trump 80th birthday.
The press conference on Friday night featured the fighters preparing for it face off Sunday in the Octagon built outside the White House. But it was also a chance to see UFC fans, who have flocked to Washington and endured lightning, humidity and bugs for the spectacle.
Tracy Philbeck and his son Levi drove from Charlotte, North Carolina, with a group of friends to support their favorite fighter, American Justin Gaethje, in his upcoming welterweight title fight against Georgia’s Ilia Topuria.
“You’ll hear an eagle screeching when Justin Gaethje wins,” laughed the elder Filbeck.
David Halstead traveled from Albany, Western Australia, to watch the sport he has loved for a decade. Halstead said Trump, who regularly attends fights, “put the UFC on the map.”
The UFC has said so spent $60 million at this weekend’s festivities, and the Republican president has called it “the greatest show on earth.”
Not everyone agrees.
The Public Integrity Project described the event as “the private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain.” in a court proceeding the watchdog group tried to stop that from happening on federal land. A federal judge ruled on Friday that the White House was allowed to move forward.
Only about 1 in 10 US adults consider themselves fans of mixed martial arts, according to Ipsos Sports polling conducted in February and March. This poll suggests that MMA fans are skewed male rather than white. They are more likely to identify as Republicans than Democrats.
“A misconception is that everyone who watches the UFC is a Trump supporter, but that’s not the case,” said Ricardo Rodriguez, 24, explaining that he enjoys the physicality of the sport. “People also expect a knockout every time,” he said.
Ellie Louizes, who practices Muay Thai, or Thai kickboxing, and the martial arts jujitsu, drove from Daytona Beach, Florida, with her boyfriend, Jacob Purvis.
Female MMA fans are a minority. But Louise said she knows many women who follow the sport through their male partners. She said that “female fighters are often much more aggressive” than males.
Fans dismissed criticism of the White House as host
Fans at the Lincoln Memorial countered criticism of the games being held at the White House.
Fighting in the “House of the People”, Tracy Philbeck said, “it goes back to the days of Teddy Roosevelt.”
Roosevelt regularly held sparring sessions at the White House, although they were not official public prizefights. He was an enthusiastic amateur boxer who had boxed at Harvard and continued the sport throughout his life.
Boxing fans also make up a large part of the UFC’s fan base.
At a UFC-sponsored community event this week at the District of Columbia’s Midtown Youth Academy, the boxing gym’s executive director was helping out with a visit from UFC fighter Randy Brown, who sparred with more than a dozen local teenagers and teens.
Gloria Lee said meeting the fighter was a big deal for the kids at her gym. “It’s just been an exciting week and I was about to pass out when he walked in the door!” she said.
Asked about her personal UFC fan base, Lee said she hasn’t seen much. But at the end of Brown’s visit, she got in the ring with the professional fighter and threw some slugs of her own.
__
By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press
Associated Press writer Linley Sanders contributed to this report.
Subscribe to our free newsletters
Our weekly newsletter Closing arguments provides the latest on ongoing trials, major litigation and decisions in courts around the US and the world, while monthly Under the lights feeds legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.
