UFC Freedom 250: White House fights delayed as thunderstorm nears D.C.

UFC Freedom 250 was originally scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET. Mother Nature has forced the UFC and White House to adjust course.

With thunderstorms projected to hit Washington D.C. during the much-publicized card, the UFC has delayed its fights to approximately 9 p.m. The promotion announced earlier in the afternoon that “live event coverage” will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount+, but the actual fights are being held back for potentially an hour. A representative for the UFC told Uncrowned the official time for the first fight remains fluid.

Given how the weather forecast is looking, that might not be the only move the promotion has to make Sunday.

The first fight of the night is supposed to be a featherweight bout between Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia.

Concerns had built around UFC Freedom 250 in the past few days, as the weather forecast predicted potential rain. MMA events are almost always held indoors, with outdoor events fleetingly rare. The only other open-air event in UFC history was UFC 112 in 2010, which presented enough headaches that White didn’t try a repeat until he was presented the White House South Lawn.

“Listen,” he told reporters. “The show goes on, on Sunday, no matter what happens. We’re going. I don’t care if it rains, snows, whatever happens, we have a fight.

“I’m sick and tired of hearing about the weather now, and all the other bulls*** surrounding this event,” White added, perhaps in reference to an unsuccessful lawsuit that the anti-corruption watchdog group, Public Integrity Project, filed on behalf of two plaintiffs on June 6.

“Listen,” he told reporters. “The show goes on, on Sunday, no matter what happens. We’re going. I don’t care if it rains, snows, whatever happens, we have a fight.

“I’m sick and tired of hearing about the weather now, and all the other bulls*** surrounding this event,” White added, perhaps in reference to an unsuccessful lawsuit that the anti-corruption watchdog group, Public Integrity Project, filed on behalf of two plaintiffs on June 6.

Judging from a tweet from its rapid response account, the White House also didn’t appreciate how the weather was being anticipated.

The event was highly anticipated and represented a day in the sun for a sport that was once fighting for its life when Trump granted the UFC a lifeline by allowing it to host events on his properties while it faced regulatory scrutiny. White has said the event will cost upwards of $60 million, with the promotion footing the bill, though the actual finances behind the event have been heavily disputed.