- Troops attending the June 14 UFC event at the White House will be prescreened for fitness standards.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made fitness in the ranks a key agency priority.
- The mixed martial arts fight card will be a South Lawn first.
Sports fans tuning in on June 14 to watch “UFC Freedom 250” will witness something never before seen: A mixed martial arts event on the South Lawn of the White House featuring title bouts embedded in plenty of red, white and blue pageantry.
And it will all be happening under a massive 92-foot-high overhead lighting structure dubbed “The Claw.”
The White House’s chief resident, President Donald Trump, has likened “The Claw” to the Eiffel Tower, adding “maybe we’ll never, ever take it down.”
But here’s something that won’t be seen at UFC Freedom 250: chubby military troops.
The Trump administration is reserving 1,200 tickets to the Flag Day event for active-duty troops. But like the MMA fighters competing in the caged octagon, the service members selected to attend the fights must meet specific physical standards.
As reported by Military Times, a Pentagon document called on commanders to find volunteers to attend the June 14 matches being staged to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary. That date is also Trump’s 80th birthday.
The Defense Department, according to an internal document reviewed and authenticated by Military Times, described UFC Freedom 250 as a “high visibility” event and issued requirements for military personnel selected to attend.
Service members, stated the document, must meet a waist-to-height ratio of 0.55 or less. Troops must also meet their service-specific physical fitness standards to attend the fights.
The document added that troops selected to attend the UFC matches on the South Lawn should be “genuine UFC fans” — and commands were encouraged to select junior enlisted personnel and junior officers.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon asked the commands to select service members outside the Washington, D.C., region. However, service members are required to cover their travel costs to the event, according to Military Times.
Boosted fitness across the ranks
The Pentagon’s directive regarding body composition expectations for troops attending UFC Freedom 250 signals the increased emphasis of physical fitness across the military ranks over the past year.
To quote Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, American troops “will be “fit — not fat. Our troops will look sharp — not sloppy.”
A December DOD memo implemented the use of a waist-to-height ratio to evaluate body composition of troops of all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
“Height and weight tables will no longer be utilized to evaluate body composition,” noted a memo signed by Undersecretary of Defense for personnel and readiness Anthony Tata.
“Body composition evaluation will align with medically validated, streamlined approaches, using (waist-to-height) to promote consistency and fairness across the Joint Force.”
Body composition, added the memo, is a vital component for the “warrior ethos and foundational to lethality and readiness.” The upper waist-to-height ratio limit for military service body composition policies “shall be less than 0.55.”
Every U.S. service member will have their body composition evaluated twice each year. Troops with a waist-to-height ratio of 0.55 or above — while also exceeding body fat standards — are being placed in a remedial program and referred to medical authorities.
The maximum body fat standards for men and women are 26% and 36%, respectively.
“Failure to meet established standards may result in the withholding of favorable personnel actions, including promotions,” the memo warned.
“Continued failure or those not demonstrating adequate progress will be subject to administrative measures to include processing for administrative separation.”
History of sports at the White House
Davis Ingle, a White House spokesman, told Military Times last week that the UFC Freedom 250 “will be one of the greatest and most historic sports events in history, and President Trump hosting it at the White House is a testament to his vision to celebrate America’s monumental 250th anniversary.”
The seven- fight card on the South Lawn features a lightweight title bout between American Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria of Georgia — and a heavyweight interim title bout between Alex Pereira of Brazil and France’s Ciryl Gane.
But while the MMA event will be a South Lawn first, athletics and the White House already enjoy a shared history.
President Teddy Roosevelt built a tennis court in 1903 near what’s now called the West Wing. Some four decades later, a two-lane bowling alley was built in the West Wing basement. It was later repurposed, but bowling made a White House comeback in 1969 when avid kegler Richard Nixon installed a one-lane bowling alley.
The South Lawn has also hosted ice skating. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter built a temporary rink and Olympic gold medalist Peggy Fleming performed during holiday parties for the Secret Service, military aides and other staffers, according to USA Today.
And President George W. Bush, a former part-owner of baseball’s Texas Rangers, initiated “Little League Tee Ball on the South Lawn”, which ran from 2001 to 2008.
The South Lawn tee ball field included a pitcher’s mound, dugout and bleachers and a menu with ballpark favorites such as hot dogs and hamburgers.