A mixed martial arts contest at the White House was seen as a bigger crowd pleaser than Shakespeare in the Park to celebrate America’s 250th independence anniversary, according to US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
He predicted Sunday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event, which is being held on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, would be watched by a billion people all over the world.
An arena able to seat 4,000 people, complete with the signature octagon cage, has been created on the South Lawn of the White House for the seven Freedom 250 fights.
While the administration said the UFC would be covering the 60 million dollar (£45 million) cost, court papers show seven agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration, had “allocated significant resources and manpower” to the event.
There will be a ceremonial weigh-in for fighters on Saturday at a park near the White House where organisers expect 120,000-plus visitors to watch Sunday night’s proceedings on large screens after winning free tickets in a lottery.
Mr Rubio described the White House UFC event as a “gift to the American people”.
He said: “The White House is the people’s house. It belongs to the people of the United States.
“The American 250 celebration belongs to the people of the United States.”
Highlighting the popularity of the sport among millions of Americans, he said: “For them to be able to see this event with their White House in the background as part of our celebration as a country in our 250 years, I think is a gift to the American people.
“They’re going to see their White House and their capital on their nation’s birthday celebrating with a historic event.
“We could’ve had a band, and we have great bands. We could’ve done a Shakespeare in the Park production. There’s a lot of things we could have done with it, but this one will have people watching, probably a billion people all over the world.
“A billion people all over the world will be watching America celebrate its 250th birthday with the White House in the background, and some of the best athletes in the world in that octagon, and we’re happy to be a part of that.”
