Although the Freedom 250 UFC fight at the White House is just days away, it appears the event won’t have as much star power as anticipated.
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While speaking to Time magazine about the event, UFC President Dana White said he had invited a handful of celebrities. Among those he invited were Adam Sandler, Guy Ritchie, Tom Brady, Jared Leto, Jason Statham, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Mario Lopez.
However, according to Vanity Fair, the majority of the celebrities White invited are skipping the event. A source close to Johnson shared that he would not be attending the event. The media outlet also reached out to the reps for Sandler, Leto and Lopez, who all said they couldn’t attend.
Meanwhile, White House officials have confirmed that President Trump has 1,000 tickets to give out. He and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles reportedly handpicked some allies to attend the event.
Approximately 4,300 military personnel are expected to attend the UFC fight.
The UFC Event Is Being Hit With Legal Woes
Although preparations continue on the White House’s south lawn, the event is now dealing with another issue – a lawsuit.
As previously reported, the lawsuit was filed by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of a veteran and a civil activist. In it, the plaintiffs argued the structure set up on the White House grounds was not authorized without congressional approval or environmental review.
The lawsuit also argued that such use of the White House grounds for a “private, for-profit sports event, with all the promotional and branding opportunities that accompany such access” will benefit UFC President Dana White and President Trump financially.
The plaintiffs backed their claims by citing a report noting that President Trump bought $50,000 worth of stock in TKO, UFC’s parent company, in March 2026.
“This is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain,” the lawsuit reads.
“[It] is not in any material sense a ‘celebration’ of the 250th anniversary of American Independence,” the lawsuit states. Instead, the event is described as a “celebration” of the UFC’s brand and “the 80th anniversary of Donald Trump’s birth.”
Meanwhile, a White House official slammed the lawsuit. “This is an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory lawsuit,” they stated. “Brought simply to prevent President Trump from hosting what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most historic sporting events in our Nation’s history during our semiquincentennial celebration.”