DOJ fires back against lawsuit seeking to block UFC Freedom 250

Field Level Media
11 Jun 2026, 09:49 GMT+10

(Photo credit: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a brief with the U.S. District Court in Washington this week, arguing against a lawsuit that hopes to stop the UFC Freedom 250 card at the White House.

Preparations for the event on the South Lawn have cost a reported $60 million, and the DOJ argued of the thousands planning to attend, 'All these hopes could be dashed at the very last moment, however, by the whim of two people who believe they have superior taste and want to spoil the event for everyone else.'

The suit was filed by two Virginia residents, asking that the event be scrapped due to a lack of an environmental review and a failure to receive approval from Congress.

The DOJ argues that the White House had the authority to stage the event as part of the nation's 250th anniversary celebration.

'(The plaintiffs) seek to enlist the power of a federal court to impose their idiosyncratic preferences on the rest of the country and ruin an event designed to celebrate the United States of America,' the DOJ wrote.

The brief added, 'No one is holding plaintiffs in a jiu jitsu lock, forcing them to watch UFC Freedom against their will. The public interest does not favor allowing them to exercise a heckler's veto, particularly at this late date.'

The Sunday card will be headlined by a lightweight championship bout featuring Ilia Topuria (17-0) and Justin Gaethje (27-5).

--Field Level Media

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