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Ten years ago, any self-respecting industry insider would have laughed in your face for suggesting the UFC would stage an event on the South Lawn of the White House.
A venue as polarizing as any in the company’s history, whether you’re disgusted or elated by UFC Freedom 250, it will undoubtedly be one of the most visually striking backdrops a mixed martial arts event has ever boasted.
The man tasked with bringing the event to life is UFC executive producer Craig Borsari. UFC CEO Dana White planted Borsari — a man he describes as “the most OCD person” he’s ever met — in Washington weeks ago to execute the mission. White insisted the large claw structure that’s been erected, the construction of which likely ate up a considerable amount of the company’s quoted $60 million budget for the event, will allow for uninterrupted views of the White House and the Lincoln Memorial as the fights take place.
Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournament
Speaking to the press earlier this week, Borsari underlined the enormity of the task he’s undertaken and revealed he’s receiving hourly updates from an on-site meteorologist to account for any weather issues that could be encountered due to the outdoor environment.
“I’ve been here since the 28th [of May], and it is nonstop,” said Borsari.
“As soon as we wake up, [we are] taking on challenges, making tweaks, making sure we are on schedule, if we’re not on schedule, catching up. It is a nonstop race right now.”
Sunday’s skirmish on the South Lawn might be the most notable unorthodox spectacle in MMA’s short history, but it isn’t the first. Feast on these examples of fights that looked more like Street Fighter levels than sporting venues.
Speaking of prestigious American homes, Strikeforce visited Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion twice, once in 2007 and again in 2008, supplying a surreal environment for the action that would ensue. The event also took place outdoors, but the location did little to add to the visuals of the broadcast. Outside of occasional cuts to Playboy bunnies dotted around the premises, once the fights were underway the brand’s logo appearing on the cage was the only real indication as to where the event took place. Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns were among the victors the first time Strikeforce used the venue in September 2007.
Constructed between 27 BC and AD 68, the ancient Roman amphitheatre in what is now Pula, Croatia, is the only remaining of its kind with all four side towers preserved. FNC, an ever-expanding European promotion putting on large scale events akin to KSW and Oktagon, has used the venue on multiple occasions over the last number of years, providing a breathtaking background for the combatants. The pavilions of the amphitheatre were visible throughout the contests, with occasional bursts of fire illuminating them for further dramatics on numerous occasions.
Nothing says Street Fighter level like a cityscape or skyline, and Æternum Fight League managed to provide us with both for its debut event atop the World Trade Center in Mexico City just two weeks ago. Taking place on the 46th floor of the building, the promoter claimed it was the highest elevation in MMA history. As darkness fell across the city, the platform the fights took place on almost looked like it was floating above the bustling city.
The Saudi-backed Riyadh Season boxing promotion has given us some of the biggest spectacles in the modern sport with its recent marquees at the Pyramids of Giza and Times Square. Despite a very strong card assisting the promoter’s attempt to pull off a stunning boxing spectacle in Manhattan headlined by Ryan Garcia, the May 2025 event largely fell short of the mark. Many rolled their eyes when MMA promotion Victory Fight League announced it would be doing its own Times Square event four months later. Even though the ambitious card seemed to float under the radar, the event felt much more embedded in the commercial chaos of the location than its boxing predecessor.
There have been many attempts to meld the worlds of MMA and motorsport. There was the “Backflips and Beatdowns” series from Fusion Fight League that took place in Montana, the key selling point of which was motocross bikes jumping over the cage as bouts took place. Bellator also promoted the Monster Energy Fight Series events that toured across a number of tracks around the U.S. and also exhibited similar aerial acrobatics. PFL Daytona in 2017, the first of the promotion’s events, may have pulled off the cleanest look from a production point of view on the site of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar.
Ganryujima brought the world a custom variant of MMA that appeared to take place on a moat — a fight platform supposedly surrounded by water. However, as an MMA on Point video informed me, the reality that water was not present under the smoky residue that surrounded the fighting canvas was brought crashing down when Marcus Aurelio slammed Hidenori Ebata head-first into the solid concrete that lurked beneath.
Writers strive to be honest with readers. With that in mind, it’s only fair to disclose from the get-go that there are no visual assets to help with the description of this spectacle. However, the fact that it took place on USS LST 393, which MLive claimed “once housed a dedicated Naval force ready to fight for American freedom,” made it impossible not to include. The battleship docked in Muskegon, Michigan, and hosted the card that took place in September 2015. Kenny Cross — who was defeated by French sensation Salahdine Parnasse at MVP MMA 1 — dispatched Kenny Branch in the main event of the evening.
Continue reading...
A venue as polarizing as any in the company’s history, whether you’re disgusted or elated by UFC Freedom 250, it will undoubtedly be one of the most visually striking backdrops a mixed martial arts event has ever boasted.
The man tasked with bringing the event to life is UFC executive producer Craig Borsari. UFC CEO Dana White planted Borsari — a man he describes as “the most OCD person” he’s ever met — in Washington weeks ago to execute the mission. White insisted the large claw structure that’s been erected, the construction of which likely ate up a considerable amount of the company’s quoted $60 million budget for the event, will allow for uninterrupted views of the White House and the Lincoln Memorial as the fights take place.
Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournament
Speaking to the press earlier this week, Borsari underlined the enormity of the task he’s undertaken and revealed he’s receiving hourly updates from an on-site meteorologist to account for any weather issues that could be encountered due to the outdoor environment.
“I’ve been here since the 28th [of May], and it is nonstop,” said Borsari.
“As soon as we wake up, [we are] taking on challenges, making tweaks, making sure we are on schedule, if we’re not on schedule, catching up. It is a nonstop race right now.”
Sunday’s skirmish on the South Lawn might be the most notable unorthodox spectacle in MMA’s short history, but it isn’t the first. Feast on these examples of fights that looked more like Street Fighter levels than sporting venues.
Playboy Mansion (Strikeforce)
Speaking of prestigious American homes, Strikeforce visited Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion twice, once in 2007 and again in 2008, supplying a surreal environment for the action that would ensue. The event also took place outdoors, but the location did little to add to the visuals of the broadcast. Outside of occasional cuts to Playboy bunnies dotted around the premises, once the fights were underway the brand’s logo appearing on the cage was the only real indication as to where the event took place. Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns were among the victors the first time Strikeforce used the venue in September 2007.
Arena Pula Amphitheatre (FNC)
Constructed between 27 BC and AD 68, the ancient Roman amphitheatre in what is now Pula, Croatia, is the only remaining of its kind with all four side towers preserved. FNC, an ever-expanding European promotion putting on large scale events akin to KSW and Oktagon, has used the venue on multiple occasions over the last number of years, providing a breathtaking background for the combatants. The pavilions of the amphitheatre were visible throughout the contests, with occasional bursts of fire illuminating them for further dramatics on numerous occasions.
Mexico City Rooftop (Æternum Fight League)
Nothing says Street Fighter level like a cityscape or skyline, and Æternum Fight League managed to provide us with both for its debut event atop the World Trade Center in Mexico City just two weeks ago. Taking place on the 46th floor of the building, the promoter claimed it was the highest elevation in MMA history. As darkness fell across the city, the platform the fights took place on almost looked like it was floating above the bustling city.
Times Square (Victory Fight League)
The Saudi-backed Riyadh Season boxing promotion has given us some of the biggest spectacles in the modern sport with its recent marquees at the Pyramids of Giza and Times Square. Despite a very strong card assisting the promoter’s attempt to pull off a stunning boxing spectacle in Manhattan headlined by Ryan Garcia, the May 2025 event largely fell short of the mark. Many rolled their eyes when MMA promotion Victory Fight League announced it would be doing its own Times Square event four months later. Even though the ambitious card seemed to float under the radar, the event felt much more embedded in the commercial chaos of the location than its boxing predecessor.
Daytona Speedway (PFL)
There have been many attempts to meld the worlds of MMA and motorsport. There was the “Backflips and Beatdowns” series from Fusion Fight League that took place in Montana, the key selling point of which was motocross bikes jumping over the cage as bouts took place. Bellator also promoted the Monster Energy Fight Series events that toured across a number of tracks around the U.S. and also exhibited similar aerial acrobatics. PFL Daytona in 2017, the first of the promotion’s events, may have pulled off the cleanest look from a production point of view on the site of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar.
Moat (Ganryujima Martial Arts)
Ganryujima brought the world a custom variant of MMA that appeared to take place on a moat — a fight platform supposedly surrounded by water. However, as an MMA on Point video informed me, the reality that water was not present under the smoky residue that surrounded the fighting canvas was brought crashing down when Marcus Aurelio slammed Hidenori Ebata head-first into the solid concrete that lurked beneath.
Battleship (KOP)
Writers strive to be honest with readers. With that in mind, it’s only fair to disclose from the get-go that there are no visual assets to help with the description of this spectacle. However, the fact that it took place on USS LST 393, which MLive claimed “once housed a dedicated Naval force ready to fight for American freedom,” made it impossible not to include. The battleship docked in Muskegon, Michigan, and hosted the card that took place in September 2015. Kenny Cross — who was defeated by French sensation Salahdine Parnasse at MVP MMA 1 — dispatched Kenny Branch in the main event of the evening.
Continue reading...
