A federal court has denied a motion to halt UFC Freedom 250 at the White House South Lawn and Lincoln Memorial, clearing the way for Sunday’s event to proceed as planned.
Plaintiffs Susan Douglas and Paul Romano, backed by the Public Integrity Project, had filed for a temporary restraining order earlier this week, arguing the event was “a corrupt scheme to hand the White House South Lawn and Lincoln Memorial to a private, for-profit sports promoter in violation of federal law.” They contended the staging violated National Park Service agreements that prohibit events on federal parklands without an acceptable exemption.
The court outlined that temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions are “extraordinary” remedies requiring four showings: likelihood of success on the merits, likelihood of irreparable harm without relief, equities supporting emergency relief, and emergency relief being in the public interest.
The court concluded the plaintiffs failed to establish both a substantial likelihood of standing and irreparable harm, and that “the equities and public interest weigh against emergency relief.”
The ruling also noted that while the event was promoted as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebration, neither the congressionally authorized planning commission nor the President’s corresponding task force named “Freedom 250” was involved in planning UFC Freedom 250. A spokesperson for that commission had denied involvement on June 4.
UFC Freedom 250 streams on Paramount+ this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, headlined by Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje for the unified lightweight title.