17 hours ago
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Fueled by a dose of high-octane patriotism, President Donald Trump and UFC boss Dana White walked out from the Oval Office to chants of “USA!” to greet military members and political dignitaries set to watch one of the more surreal spectacles in sports and even in the nation’s capital: cage fighting on the White House lawn.
A long-time fight fan with a 25-year professional relationship with White, Trump turned 80 on Sunday and fans gathered on a gloomy night on the South Lawn cheered when one fan yelled out “happy birthday!”
Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia opened UFC Freedom 250 in a featherweight bout under the structure known as the Claw, a four-sided mass that arcs more than 90 feet (27 meters) into the air and features lights, speakers, thick snakes of wiring and four large screens so fans not seated right next to the Octagon can follow the cage fighting below.
Garcia walked out of the White House draped in an American flag and accompanied by two police officers. Lopes walked out to the Mexican song “La Chona.”
Fans were as quiet for the start of the main card Sunday as they might be for the preliminary fights held hours before a pay-per-view event in a normal fight arena, such as Madison Square Garden. Closer to the Rose Garden, fans did come alive when Lopes landed a flurry of punches to knock out Garcia in the second round.
The show was steeped...
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