White House unveils UFC arena dubbed 'The Claw' ahead of historic fight night

The White House on Thursday opened its doors to reporters for a first look at the UFC arena constructed on the South Lawn ahead of Sunday’s highly anticipated fight card, an event that has drawn both excitement and legal scrutiny. Crews spent weeks transforming a section of the White House grounds into an outdoor venue centered around the UFC Octagon, which sits beneath a large overhead lighting and production structure known as “The Claw.” The temporary arena is expected to accommodate roughly 4,500 guests for what organizers have billed as a historic fight night. The event marks one of the most unusual settings in UFC history. Fighters have already arrived in Washington and spent the week preparing not only for their opponents, but also for the challenges of competing outdoors, including heat, humidity and insects. For many, it will be the first outdoor professional fight of their careers. “I’m prepared for everything,” said Ilia Topuria during media availability on Wednesday. "I'm going to have to fight in the same circumstances as my opponent. We are going to be both in the same Octagon. We are going to have to deal with the same things. Not specifically with the same things because he's going to have to deal with me and I'm going to have to deal with him. Topuria will fight Justin Gaethje on Sunday. Gaethjie told reporters how he's preparing for the outdoor face-off. “The humidity is the only thing that’s going to be a factor,” Gaethjie explained. "So I put myself into hot environments. I put myself into a sauna before my workouts, so I go into my workouts, you know, with my body heat elevated." Despite the fanfare surrounding the event, a federal lawsuit filed over the weekend seeks to block the fight from taking place. The lawsuit describes the event as “deeply corrupt” and argues that holding a UFC event on White House grounds violates federal law. The Justice Department has pushed back forcefully, calling the lawsuit “meritless” and arguing the challenge was filed too late to justify emergency intervention. Government attorneys contend that no federal laws are being violated and that plaintiffs have failed to demonstrate any irreparable harm. With only days remaining before the event, there is no indication that the legal challenge will prevent the fight card from moving forward. The UFC’s presence in Washington extended beyond the South Lawn on Thursday. UFC President and CEO Dana White joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio for a signing ceremony launching a new public-private partnership focused on expanding sports diplomacy initiatives and promoting the growth of mixed martial arts around the world. President Donald Trump has enthusiastically embraced the event and has repeatedly promoted it in recent weeks. During remarks this week, Trump even joked that the massive structure erected on the South Lawn may become a permanent fixture. READ MORE: https://13wham.com/news/nation-world/... _______________ Stay up to date with our social media: 13 WHAM on Facebook:   / 13wham   13 WHAM on Twitter:   / 13wham   13WHAM on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/13whamtv/?h... 13WHAM on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@13wham?lang=en 13 WHAM Daily Local News Digest:    • 13WHAM Local News Digest   For more information, visit https://13wham.com/ Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: [email protected] Call the Newsroom: (585) 334-8700 WHAM is a NY based station and a ABC Television affiliate owned and operated by Deerfield Media, Inc and receives certain services from an affiliation of Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. #13WHAM #News #Rochester #NewYork