UFC Freedom 250 as an Immigrant Celebration?

Dodging thunderstorms and controversy, Freedom 250 saw action on the White House lawn last night. The event was held on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.

Dana White, President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), previously asserted that the Freedom 250 was "a celebration of America’s immigrant roots . . . White emphasized that the card aims to reflect the diverse origins of fighters, mirroring the nation’s own immigrant heritage."

“America is a country of immigrants that all came from somewhere else and they’re all going to be represented,” White stated in an interview with NPR’s Steve Inskeep.

"White acknowledged his deliberate effort to include fighters from all corners of the globe . . . He distanced the event from the old [World Wrestling Entertainment] trope of foreign villains, emphasizing the UFC’s global identity and its commitment to its international roster . . . ."