WASHINGTON — Authorities have arrested yet another man for his involvement in the planned attack on the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House.
Twenty-year-old Alexander Iniguez Mercado of Chicago is charged with obstruction of justice related to his involvement in planning the attack. He served as the administrator of Signal chats where individuals communicated about planning the June 14 UFC attack, according to an indictment returned Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Authorities arrested him on Thursday and he is scheduled to appear in court on Friday at 3 p.m., according to the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/chicago-man-arrested-connection-planned-violent-attack-ultimate-fighting-championship-event">Justice Department</a>.
Mercado is one of eight individuals who have been charged in connection to the attack, which authorities discovered ahead of time and put a stop to. His charge of obstruction of justice is punishable with up to 20 years in prison.
The attempted attackers planned to use explosive drones to cause panic at the UFC event and drive attendees out of specific entrances where snipers would then open fire. Authorities discovered the plot after 19-year-old Tycen Proper&#8217;s mother called about her son&#8217;s recent firearms purchases and his communications with concerning individuals online.
Proper was planning the attack with a group of nearly two dozen others, according to a criminal complaint, many of whom have not yet been arrested. His parents told law enforcement that their son had recently quit his job and appeared to have become radicalized online.
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<div id="attachment_1124081" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-man-indicted-for-planning-ufc-250-drone-attack/ufc-freedom-250-topuria-v-gaethje-4" rel="attachment wp-att-1124081"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1124081" class="wp-image-1124081 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2281609535-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2281609535-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2281609535-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2281609535-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2281609535.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)</div>
One day before the UFC event, according to the DOJ, a special agent from the FBI spoke with Mercado on the telephone and said he was calling to &#8220;discuss online threats regarding the UFC event,&#8221; asking whether Mercado was planning to go to D.C. to help with the attack.
Mercado denied that he was planning to go to D.C. and said he wouldn&#8217;t meet with the agent, then uninstalled the Signal app on his phone, deleting the data that would include his Signal messages, according to the indictment.
“Obstructing justice in a law enforcement investigation into a planned violent domestic attack is a profoundly serious offense,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros said on Friday.
“The investigation in this case involved serious threats to public safety, including the safety of President Donald J. Trump, the 45th and 47th President of the United States of America, other members of government, as well as the many attendees and athletes who attended the event at the White House,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Any obstructive conduct to interfere with this investigation undermines the integrity of the justice system as well as the rule of law.&#8221;
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-masterminded-ufc-white-house-drone-attack-plot-dhs-says">reported last week</a> that the mastermind of the attack, Abraham Alvarez, who was “responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the planned attack,” was an illegal immigrant who had overstayed his visa after being brought into the United States as a child.
“This illegal alien from Mexico should never have been allowed in our country,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said earlier this month. “He was the ringleader of a failed terror attack targeting UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.

President Trump Hosts UFC Freedom 250 Fight Topuria v Gaethje At The White House

Another Man Indicted For Planning UFC 250 Drone Attack

Chicago

Donald Trump

UFC Freedom 250

The UFC and Meta announced a new partnership Monday afternoon that revolutionizes the current fighter ranking system that has been in place since 2013.
The multi-billion dollar mixed martial arts organization partnered up with the artificial intelligence company to use their technology to evaluate the athletes based on a specific algorithm using advanced metrics such as quality of win and recency. UFC President and CEO Dana White took to Instagram to declare the new collaboration.
“I’ve been unhappy with the rankings and always believe there had to be a better way,” White said. “We’ve always been a company that runs toward technology and innovation and now we’ve worked with Meta to integrate it directly into our rankings system. I’m excited to see how this innovation can help change the sport for both the fans and the athletes.”
White has publicly expressed his disdain for the media voting panels in recent years, so the change in rankings did not come as much of a surprise to anyone. It was especially heightened in 2024 after Khalil Rountree Jr. almost beat the light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, yet stayed at number eight in the rankings.
“The morons strike again,” White complained. “The morons keep him at number eight. Literally this week, I have a meeting to try and fix the rankings and get all of these know-nothing, do-nothing motherf*ckers out of it.”
“I just can’t handle incompetence. I can’t take it anymore. It’s driving me crazy,” White <a href="https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/story/sports/ufc/2024/10/15/ufc-rankings-dana-white-change-media-ai/75696927007/">continued during a post-fight press conference</a> just a few days later. “I can’t let people that I don’t believe know what the f*ck that they’re talking about deal with the rankings anymore. I have to figure out a solution.”
The new deal with Meta fixes White’s issues with the media panel that voted for the top 15 fighters in each division and an overall top ten “pound-for-pound” fighter list. What was once affected by popularity now uses an algorithm created by the engineering team at Meta.
The algorithm factors in how a fighter wins, whether it’s dominant or a split decision, opponent quality, and activity of the fighter. The rankings update the Monday after each UFC event.
The first “Meta UFC Rankings” released Monday, June 22, with many fans and fighters alike giving mixed reactions to the now unranked fighters and athletes who jumped rankings and benefitted from the change.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
What am I lookin at 😆 
This 💩 gotta be a joke
Somebody playin I can’t take none this serious 😆 <a href="https://t.co/bLnzzMsvql">pic.twitter.com/bLnzzMsvql</a>
— Charles &#8220;InnerG&#8221; Johnson (@innerGmma_ufc) <a href="https://x.com/innerGmma_ufc/status/2069174064544137388?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
For the first time this bullshit ranking is right
— Renato Moicano (@moicanoufc) <a href="https://x.com/moicanoufc/status/2069176060889968793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
The “Meta UFC Rankings” appear to be here to stay despite the backlash.
“By introducing these advanced metrics, the Meta UFC Rankings deliver the most consistent and clear assessment of fighter placement available today,” the company <a href="https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-and-meta-unveil-meta-ufc-rankings">stated on the announcement on their website</a>. “This consistent, data-informed approach is designed to foster greater fan engagement and debate, providing a neutral and sophisticated benchmark for comparing the world&#8217;s best athletes.”

UFC 257: Press Conference

UFC And Meta Team Up To Reinvent Fighter Rankings

UFC 276: Adesanya v Cannonier

Joe Rogan Reveals Crazy Comment Trump Made Backstage At UFC: ‘What The F*ck, Dude!’

Joe Rogan Reveals Crazy Comment Trump Made Backstage At UFC: 'What The F*ck, Dude!'

America 250

Joe Rogan

Embattled former first son Hunter Biden published a lengthy critique of President Donald Trump&#8217;s White House celebrations ahead of America&#8217;s 250th birthday — particularly the UFC fight that took place on the South Lawn on Sunday.
Biden&#8217;s father, former President Joe Biden, hosted a White House LGBTQ Pride celebration during which a trans-identifying man flashed his fake breasts on the South Lawn — but Hunter Biden argued that it was the UFC fight that crossed the line, disgracing the people&#8217;s house.
Biden&#8217;s comments were a direct response to podcaster Joe Rogan, who had taken part in the White House events that night, after he welcomed anyone who had a problem with the UFC fight there to &#8220;shut the f*ck up.&#8221;
&#8220;Dear Joe, I wish I could sit down with you face to face and explain why so many of us were offended by the UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House,&#8221; Biden wrote in an <a href="https://x.com/HunterBiden/status/2067549698861277391">X post</a>.
He began by praising the UFC for building a great brand, saying that the organization itself had nothing to do with his distaste for the event.
&#8220;For me, it had nothing to do with the UFC or who showed up for the fights. The brand you and Dana have built is a bona fide American success story. More power to you. As for the fighters, in my book, anyone brave enough to put it all on the line in the arena is remarkable to witness. Their dedication and discipline inspire me. I don’t understand anyone who can’t admire that,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And as for the people who attended, I, for one, love Shane Gillis. I think he’s hilarious and brilliant. It was a show. A once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. I can’t blame anyone for wanting to witness it firsthand.&#8221;
&#8220;My problem is that I believe some of our public spaces are sacred,&#8221; he added without a trace of irony. &#8220;And unlike many of the great powers that came before us, these American monuments belong to all of us. Not to whoever happens to hold power at the moment. The White House does not belong to Donald Trump. It does not belong to any President. It belongs to the people.&#8221;
Biden went on to argue that Trump was treating the White House like his own personal and private &#8220;Colosseum&#8221; and complained that he had held the UFC fight at the White House specifically to show the American people that he believed he could do anything he wanted with the property.
&#8220;To treat it as Caesar treated the Colosseum is antithetical to everything our founding fathers fought for. This is not Rome. Presidents are not emperors doling out bread and circuses for the peasants. The White House is the People’s House. This &#8216;celebration&#8217; could have happened in any stadium within a stone’s throw of the South Lawn. No one would have had an issue with it. But that was obviously Donald Trump’s whole point,&#8221; Biden complained. &#8220;By holding the event on the South Lawn, what he was saying to the rest of us is: &#8216;This is my house. I own it. I will do with it what I please. I’ll build a colosseum and have the gladiators fight under my gaze. I’ll tear down the East Wing. I’ll pave over the Rose Garden. I’ll cover everything in gold and marble. I’ll erase the names of all the men who came before me.'&#8221;
&#8220;The fights,&#8221; Biden insisted, &#8220;were an exhibition of imperial domination, not a celebration of our 250th anniversary as a democracy.&#8221;
&#8220;The White House belongs to us. All of us. The person who sits behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office is nothing more than an honored guest. A temporary caretaker. The President is our servant. Not our Caesar,&#8221; Biden concluded, adding in his postscript that he was still down for a &#8220;cage match&#8221; with Donald Trump Jr., so long as it took place &#8220;anywhere but the South Lawn.&#8221;
Adding a twist of irony, former Secretary of State <a href="https://x.com/HillaryClinton/status/2066171075495616809">Hillary Clinton</a> issued a similar statement as the UFC fights began, as she reminded everyone that the White House belonged to the people and should be respected by the presidents who had only a temporary residence there: &#8220;It&#8217;s not his house. It&#8217;s our house.&#8221;
Clinton was immediately <a href="https://x.com/BuzzPatterson/status/2066214469286727869">reminded</a> that her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had shown his respect for the people&#8217;s house by carrying on an affair with an intern in the Oval Office.

Joe Biden, Hunter Biden

Hunter Biden ‘Offended’ By UFC At The White House. Joe’s South Lawn Had A Man Flashing Fake Breasts.

Hunter Biden Is Mad About UFC. His Dad Let Pretend 'Women' Fondle Themselves On The South Lawn.

Hillary Clinton

Hunter Biden

Politics

The man accused of being the ringleader of a group planning to attack the UFC Freedom 250 White House event last weekend is an illegal immigrant from Mexico. 
Abraham Alvarez, who the Justice Department said was “responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the planned attack,” overstayed his visa after being brought into the country as a child. He was first granted deportation relief under former President Barack Obama in 2014, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-ufc-terror-plot-ringleader-mexican-illegal-immigrant-dhs-confirms">reported</a> Thursday. 
Alvarez came on a B2 visa, according to the Department of Homeland Security. A B2 visa typically is given for tourism or medical reasons and the one issued to Alvarez expired in 2001.
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&#8220;This illegal alien from Mexico should never have been allowed in our country,&#8221; DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News. &#8220;He was the ringleader of a failed terror attack targeting UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.&#8221;
&#8220;He will face justice and swiftly be removed from our country,&#8221; she added of Alvarez.
The alleged plot would have involved using explosive drones to cause panic at the UFC event before snipers opened fire. Alavarez has been charged with conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States.
Alvarez wanted to target President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and trillionaire Elon Musk, according to the criminal complaint from the FBI. Neither Musk nor Netanyahu were at the event.
The FBI said that Alvarez went by the moniker &#8220;Shepherd&#8221; in a group chat where the attack was planned.
&#8220;This is the best action I see. Position your teams in the purple dots (counter sniper and drones) Long range (circled area) (great shot) Easy out into the river,&#8221; Shepherd posted on June 10 alongside maps of the D.C. area, according to the FBI.
Tycen Proper, a 19-year-old charged in the attack, allegedly identified “Shepherd” as “the primary individual involved with planning” and “directly stated that Shepherd was the leader of the group and described him as aggressive in tactical planning.”
“From his home here in Nebraska, Alvarez allegedly directed and recruited others across the country to conduct a horrific attack against government officials in a mass casualty event. Our team worked around the clock to locate and apprehend Alvarez, take him into custody, and collect crucial evidence,” said FBI special agent Eugene Kowel on Tuesday. 
This is a breaking story. Refresh for updates.

Untitled design – 2026-06-17T130519.274

Illegal Immigrant Masterminded UFC White House Drone Attack Plot, DHS Says

Department of Homeland Security

Illegal Immigration

Terrorism

White House

Now liberals are equating UFC with porn and lynching. God, they ruin everything.
They&#8217;ve gone completely off the rails. These people hate men. They hate women who like men. They hate patriotism, marriage, babies, traditional entertainment, and anything that looks like unapologetic joy. Except Joy Reid&#8217;s version of it, maybe. And did I mention they loathe men? This is where the Democratic Party stands in 2026: proving every single day that there&#8217;s no crawling back to sanity.
They&#8217;re not moderating. They&#8217;re not reflecting. They&#8217;re doubling down on the sneering, joyless, elitist nonsense that already cost them working-class voters by the truckload.
Take the recent White House UFC event on the South Lawn. Conservative writer Marc Thiessen <a href="https://x.com/marcthiessen/status/2066172759823065239">praised</a> it as Trump opening the doors to regular Americans — the kind who enjoy motocross rallies and monster truck shows. New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/opinion/ufc-freedom-250-fight.html">responded</a> by sneering that if you&#8217;re okay with that, you&#8217;re an elitist snob in reverse. Then she went nuclear: &#8220;Like Ultimate Fighting, porn is extremely popular, but I somehow doubt Thiessen would defend a Democratic president who invited a bunch of OnlyFans creators to the Oval Office while he was losing a war.&#8221;
Wild comparison. Is she on Hunter Biden’s crack? But somehow it got worse.
On Jim Acosta&#8217;s show, historian Heather Cox Richardson — the same one who treats every Republican breath as a constitutional crisis — actually said <a href="https://x.com/WesternLensman/status/2066680661025468757/video/1">this</a> with a straight face: &#8220;It&#8217;s not really a stretch to say that the same impulse that created the UFC fight on the White House lawn is the impulse that really pushed lynching in the late 19th century.&#8221;
Lynching! And Perma-victim-Acosta just hmmed in agreement, like she&#8217;d dropped profound historical wisdom instead of a brain-melting false equivalence.
UFC fights equal lynching. UFC fights equal porn. Motocross rallies equal baskets of deplorables. Got it. By this logic, anything popular with normal Americans is automatically suspect or sinister.
They despise us. Not in the polite &#8220;we disagree on policy&#8221; way. The Left genuinely believes all Republicans are flannel-wearing hillbillies who enjoy combat sports, big trucks, and rowdy crowds, and that we’re the moral and cultural scum of the earth.
They would rather die than be caught enjoying the same things the rest of the country finds entertaining.
Motocross rallies are awesome. So are monster trucks. UFC is about as American as it gets — a nation born from fighters, revolutionaries, risk-takers, now celebrating disciplined, high-level athletic competition in a ring. Neither has a damn thing to do with lynching or porn. One is a consensual sport between trained professionals. The other was a racist mob murder. (Smells like the abortion movement in America if you ask me.)
Goldberg should sit this one out. The party lecturing America about sexual liberation has produced exactly what you&#8217;d expect. Gallup data shows Republicans are dramatically more likely to be married than Democrats, especially in prime family-forming years. The gap has widened over decades as Democrats have embraced lifestyles that de-emphasize marriage and family <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/646793/why-marriage-became-partisan.aspx">formation</a>. Institute for Family Studies <a href="https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-growing-link-between-marriage-fertility-and-partisanship">research</a> consistently finds that conservatives and Republicans have higher fertility rates and are far more likely to have children. Liberal women, by contrast, show markedly lower completed fertility and higher rates of childlessness.
This isn&#8217;t random. It tracks with broader attitudes. Liberals have long led the charge on &#8220;sex-positive&#8221; culture that celebrates casual sex, delayed or rejected marriage, and the normalization of platforms like OnlyFans. Democrats poll more favorably toward expansive views on sexual liberation and non-traditional arrangements. The party that claims to champion &#8220;joy&#8221; and &#8220;inclusion&#8221; has produced a demographic reality of more single adults, lower marriage rates, and fewer babies — while sneering at the people who still value the opposite.
That&#8217;s why Democrats keep bleeding support. They&#8217;re <a href="http://substack.com/redirect/e3f842fc-a20e-4d7a-ac91-84c95c092ca6?j=eyJ1IjoiMjk0dHMifQ.cmJkfm0X0r0SrUjdPQSLO8z8KA2siPUsFk8HgV3kFag">hemorrhaging non-college </a>voters, men, and anyone who doesn&#8217;t want to be lectured about their entertainment choices or family decisions. The party that once claimed the lunch-bucket crowd now looks down its nose at them from coastal enclaves.
When Trump leaves office after his third term, they’ll have nothing left but the same tired hatred of the next guy. No positive vision. Just more pearl-clutching at monster trucks and cage fights and happiness.
Meanwhile, UFC is thriving. It&#8217;s one of the fastest-growing sports globally, with massive viewership, huge revenue, and broad appeal — especially among young men who need exactly the discipline, fitness, and male camaraderie it provides. Training in martial arts builds confidence, respect, and resilience. Plenty of guys who were drifting have found purpose in the gym and the cage. It&#8217;s popular across every demographic the Left pretends to speak for.
Of course they would hate it.
If liberals could drop the snobby nonsense for five minutes, they might notice that millions of normal Americans — including plenty who aren&#8217;t hardcore conservatives — enjoy UFC precisely because it&#8217;s raw, competitive, and unfiltered. It celebrates toughness and skill instead of fragility and grievance. But they can&#8217;t. They&#8217;re too far gone. They represent an increasingly angry, single, low-fertility, joy-allergic class that thinks the height of sophistication is comparing a sporting event to historical atrocities.
New York Times. Heather Cox Richardson. Jim Acosta. You suck at this. You don’t understand the country you claim to analyze. You don’t even like it. And every time you open your mouths to equate cage fighting with lynching or porn, you just remind the rest of us why normal people tuned you out years ago.
America was built by fighters.

White House Hosts UFC Freedom250 Fight

Leftists Hate Americans Who Love America

Coastal Elites

DW Opinion

motocross

Trump Administration

Law enforcement officials discovered the alleged plot to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House over the weekend after a concerned mother called police, according to an FBI criminal complaint.
Officers showed up at the home of 19-year-old Tycen Proper on the evening of June 10 after they received a phone call about a “disturbance” from his mother. Proper would later tell investigators that he and multiple others planned to stage a terror attack involving the exploding drones and sniper rifles, FBI Task Force Officer Christopher Betts said in a criminal complaint. 
Proper and four other men have been arrested for their involvement in the alleged plot which appeared to be motivated in part by the government’s handling of the Epstein files. The complaint said that Proper’s mother told police she was “concerned about her son” due “to his recent conduct, including firearms purchases and communicating with certain individuals online.”
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Credit: Wired in Live
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After officers arrived at the home, they spoke with Proper and his parents. His father told police that he “had recently met random people online and had been planning &#8216;recons&#8217; with these individuals.”
In a later interview with the FBI, Proper’s mother claimed that he had “recently begun interacting with a group online that was comprised of individuals who claimed to be ex-military and Christian-based. She didn&#8217;t know the name of the group, but they expressed ultra-religious and anti-government sentiments, specifically citing grievances about government corruption, the handling of the Epstein files, data centers taking up all the water in communities, and other government actions.” 
Proper’s mother also said “she observed him recently engaged in physical training” and “researching and mapping locations in the area just northwest of Washington, D.C.” 
“She stated that she also observed additional images and maps being sent to him from unknown individuals through texts and Discord messages, and she would overhear PROPER talking to these individuals verbally on his phone,” the complaint said. 
The FBI said that the plot aimed to target the wealthy and Republican politicians who the plotters accused of being compromised by Israel, including Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Senator Jim Justice (R-WV), Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV), and Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV). 
“The members of that group stated that they wanted to protect the United States, which they believed was headed in the wrong direction,” the FBI complaint said. “Members of that group believed that the United States needed to be torn down so that it could be rebuilt.”

UFC White House Plot

The Disturbing Call That Unraveled The UFC White House Terror Plot

The suspects accused of plotting an attack on the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House hoped their actions would “jumpstart” a revolution and were upset about the government’s handling of the Epstein files, according to an FBI complaint. 
A complaint from FBI task force officer Christopher Betts alleged that 19-year-old Tycen Proper of Knox County, Ohio, joined a group that wanted to unleash mass terror at the UFC event. The group wanted to target Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and other elected officials they said had compromised themselves by taking money from “pro-Israel PACs,” according to the complaint. 
In messages plotting the attack, the FBI alleges that Proper wrote, “I got a possible target Marsha Blackburn is senator for Tennessee” because &#8220;she&#8217;s taken money from the Israel pro Israel lobby and supports them.”
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Credit: Wired in Live
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The suspects planned to use explosive drones to drive a crowd in the direction of snipers, according to investigators.
Betts said that Proper, whom local law enforcement arrested last week, “admitted to planning with others a coordinated attack against the United States government during the UFC event scheduled to take place.”
Other elected officials seen as targets were Senator Jim Justice, Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Rep. Carol Miller, and Rep. Riley Moore — all of whom hail from West Virginia — Betts said a review of a chat planning the attack revealed. 
“The four images of these members of Congress appear to have been taken from the website ‘TrackAIPAC.com’ and appear to include information about how much money each Congressperson received ‘from pro-Israel PACS,’” Betts said. 
Proper joined a TikTok group called “Vanguard of the Old” in March 2026, where members discussed how they believed the United States needed to be destroyed and rebuilt from the ground up, according to the complaint. Proper allegedly told the FBI that he believed “many of the group members had prior military experience.”
“The members of that group stated that they wanted to protect the United States, which they believed was headed in the wrong direction,” the complaint said. “Members of that group believed that the United States needed to be torn down so that it could be rebuilt.”
“Some expressed a desire that people who were involved with Jeffrey Epstein should not govern the country,” the complaint said. 
The FBI said that local law enforcement first detained Proper after his parents flagged behavior they viewed as suspicious. During a subsequent investigation, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Proper’s phone and interviewed him. 
The group was set to rendezvous in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the days leading up to the UFC event before local law enforcement notified the FBI. Proper is set for a detention hearing June 17 and a preliminary hearing June 29, both in the Southern District of Ohio.

US-POLITICS-UFC-MMA-TRUMP

UFC White House Plot Targeted GOP Lawmakers, Planned To ‘Tear Down’ U.S.

Israel

Jeffrey Epstein

terror

The UFC held its once-in-a-lifetime “UFC Freedom 250” event on the White House South Lawn Sunday night, an event that featured patriotic walkouts, a Thunderbirds and Blue Angels flyover, and a string of must-see fights. 
The most anticipated fight of the night was saved for last, as Justin Gaethje looked to pull off one of the most miraculous wins in the history of the UFC over Ilia Topuria, who is a two weight class champion and is coming off of knockouts of all time greats in the sport against Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira.
Many doubted Gaethje, the American, whose odds closed from around 4-1 to even 6-1 on some sites. This didn&#8217;t stop Gaethje.
Following three rounds of domination and a near-doctor’s stoppage at the end of the third, Topuria’s corner threw in the towel at the end of the fourth round, earning Gaethje his first ever undisputed lightweight championship in arguably the biggest upset in the history of mixed martial arts.
“I’m from America, 250 years ago we were way bigger than 6-1 dogs, and look at us thriving now,” Gaethje stated in his post-fight interview.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
New UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje dropped a legendary line after his HISTORIC upset over Illia Topuria.
Joe Rogan pointed out that he was a 6-1 underdog going into the fight.
GAETHJE: “Hey, I’m from America. 250 years ago we were WAY bigger than 6-1 dogs!”
“And look… <a href="https://t.co/3d3AMKp3RQ">pic.twitter.com/3d3AMKp3RQ</a>
— Overton (@overton_news) <a href="https://x.com/overton_news/status/2066394830654054709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
The card consisted of seven matches including two title fights in the heavyweight and lightweight division. President and CEO of the UFC Dana White scheduled some of the biggest names in the sport to compete in the historical event, including Sean O’Malley, Michael Chandler, and Alex Pereira.
All seven fights finished via knockout (KO) or technical knockout (TKO), making it one of the most entertaining cards in the history of mixed martial arts.
Festivities began with a flyover from the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels during the national anthem. Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia set the tone early by engaging in exchanges in the center of the octagon.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
No better way to start <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/UFCWhiteHouse?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UFCWhiteHouse</a> 👏
LIVE NOW on <a href="https://x.com/paramountplus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ParamountPlus</a>!
[ UFC Freedom 250 Presented by <a href="https://x.com/cryptocom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Cryptocom</a> &amp; <a href="https://x.com/RamTrucks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RamTrucks</a> ] <a href="https://t.co/zSusjJnsJx">pic.twitter.com/zSusjJnsJx</a>
— UFC (@ufc) <a href="https://x.com/ufc/status/2066319172955742614?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
Halfway through the second round, Lopes caught Garcia with a handful of beautiful shots, knocking him down and finishing the fight on the ground. While the Brazilian defeated an American in this bout, Bo Nickal was able to kick things off for the Americans, a sign of good things to come for the main event. Nickal defeated his opponent Kyle Daukaus by TKO in the first round, being the first of four Americans to win at UFC Freedom 250. 
American fan-favorite Michael Chandler stepped into the octagon next, but Brazilian star Mauricio Ruffy finished Chandler after a series of head kicks and straight shots at the end of the first round.
The United States was able to get back in the win column with fireworks in the ensuing fights. 
Heavyweight Josh Hokit defeated Derrick Lewis by TKO in the second round before cutting a Randy Savage/Hulk Hogan-esque promo, finishing with a comment for former first lady Michelle Obama.
“And lastly, Michelle Obama is a man,” Hokit yelled over the <a href="https://x.com/theblaze/status/2066354899068015048?s=46">microphone</a>. “Am I right, America?”
The unforgettable moments continued as America’s own “Suga” Sean O’Malley earned a walk-off knockout over Canadian fighter Aiemann Zahabi, saluting to the crowd before the referee could even call the fight.
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Sean O’Malley hit a salute before Aiemann Zahabi even hit the ground 😳
Insane walk off emote 💀
(via <a href="https://x.com/UFConParamount?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UFConParamount</a>) <a href="https://t.co/WuaoOK7nwr">pic.twitter.com/WuaoOK7nwr</a>
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) <a href="https://x.com/HappyPunch/status/2066362805758881971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
O’Malley’s knockout ended the final of the non-title fight matches, prompting the second flyover over the night, this time from a B-1 Lancer.
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Amazing fly over after Sean O&#8217;Malley&#8217;s TKO victory at UFC 250! <a href="https://t.co/J4UorcpwxB">pic.twitter.com/J4UorcpwxB</a>
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) <a href="https://x.com/nypostsports/status/2066366430698959320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
Later in the night, France’s Ciryl Gane delivered another exciting win, knocking out fan-favorite and former middleweight and light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in the beginning of the second round, who was looking to be the first fighter to be a champion at three different weight classes.
UFC Freedom 250 also included the fan fest, where mixed martial arts fans from across the country met up in the nation’s capital to attend meet and greets, other festivities, and the watch party, all taking place at The Ellipse. White estimated that nearly 200,000 people were in the park over the two-day event.
The massive event at the White House and surrounding areas led to backlash on social media. 
Members of the Left argued that the event was highly political, complaining that President Donald Trump was ruining the integrity of the South Lawn, even leading to a lawsuit being filed to stop the event, stating it was a “corrupt spectacle.&#8221; Following the event, White shot down any remarks suggesting that politics took over.
“I did all the media. We went to New York, I did far-Left. I did far-Right. I did down the middle. I did it all,” White said during the <a href="https://x.com/jedigoodman/status/2066419209991831775">press conference</a>. “I believe if you are an American, no matter where you sit politically, tonight was a proud night to just sit around and enjoy the 250th birthday of America.”
White has already expressed the uniqueness of the event, explaining that nothing like it would ever happen again. 
&#8220;This was an amazing experience,&#8221; White <a href="https://x.com/HappyPunch/status/2066412444424048645">said</a>. &#8220;This was a one of one that will never happen again. &#8230; I can&#8217;t afford it. There&#8217;s no f*cking way we can do this again.&#8221;

UFC Freedom 250: Topuria v Gaethje

American Upset Caps Off Wild UFC Night

Dana White

The UFC fights scheduled to take place at the White House on Sunday evening had to be pushed back an hour due to approaching thunderstorms.
The seven scheduled fights are expected to go on for approximately four hours, and the UFC is prepared to enforce 30 minute delays for lightning — but the likelihood of thunderstorms in the area was high enough that the organization opted to <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/14/sports/ufc-freedom-250-delayed-for-an-hour-due-to-looming-thunderstorms/">push everything back</a> one hour. Live coverage was still set to begin at 8p.m. ET, but the first fight was delayed until 9p.m.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
UFC calls for Freedom 250 delay due to looming thunderstorms <a href="https://t.co/sEFx6Mz3aH">https://t.co/sEFx6Mz3aH</a> <a href="https://t.co/b3s1JMupZg">pic.twitter.com/b3s1JMupZg</a>
— New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://x.com/nypost/status/2066294430147981473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As The New York Post reported, &#8220;Weather Channel projections called for a 57 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms in the 8 p.m. hour and a 100 percent certainty of thunderstorms in the 9 p.m. hour.&#8221;
Dana White addressed the possibility of weather-related delays earlier in the week, saying, &#8220;I don’t care if it snows, rains, whatever; we’re going. And even lightning. You guys all played sports when you were growing up — whenever there was lightning, you’d sit the lightning out, and then when it was over, you played. That’s what we’ll do.&#8221;
The Weather Channel posted the forecast earlier on Sunday, prompting a defiant response from the White House: &#8220;Rain or shine, we’re celebrating our great country no matter what. GOD BLESS AMERICA!&#8221;
Eric Trump gave fans a sneak peek of the UFC set-up from the roof of the White House just hours ahead of the event: &#8220;All right, guys, UFC starts in a couple hours. Here&#8217;s what it looks like from the top of the White House.&#8221;
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<a href="https://t.co/NNvczB02Nr">pic.twitter.com/NNvczB02Nr</a>
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) <a href="https://x.com/EricTrump/status/2066251995925594228?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/NNvczB02Nr">pic.twitter.com/NNvczB02Nr</a>
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) <a href="https://x.com/EricTrump/status/2066251995925594228?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Once the fights <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/14/sports/ufc-freedom-250-live-updates-full-card-highlights-and-winners/">get started</a>, any lightning strikes within an eight-mile radius of the White House will trigger an automatic 30-minute delay.

White House UFC Fights Delayed As Storms Threaten

White House UFC Fight Delayed As Storms Threaten

Weather

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
The White House lawn will become the stage for a celebration unlike anything in recent American history on Sunday. As part of the nation&#8217;s 250th birthday festivities, a UFC fight card will take place on the grounds of the People&#8217;s House. One of us will be participating. The other will be cheering as a friend and supporter. Most importantly, our sons will be watching.
Many people will see a cage fight. We see something else entirely.
We see an opportunity to celebrate America in a way that matches the scale of this historic milestone. America did not endure for 250 years through caution. It endured through courage, perseverance, sacrifice, and a willingness to meet challenges head-on.
When we met several years ago at Penn State University, neither of us could have predicted where life would lead. One of us would pursue a career in professional fighting. The other would dedicate his life to building homes and communities. On the surface, those paths seem very different. Yet the values required for both pursuits are remarkably similar.
Both demand discipline, require accountability, reward perseverance, and teach humility. Most importantly, both remind us that success is rarely achieved alone. It requires mentors, family, faith, and a community that challenges us to become better men.
That is why we continue to meet each week with a group of fathers committed to sharpening one another through friendship, mentorship, and Bible study. In a culture that has made a sport of attacking masculinity, we have found value in gathering with other men who are committed to faith, family, and serving our community.
We know men&#8217;s Bible studies and fellowship groups like ours are thriving across the country. In spite of attempts to shame men for leaning into masculinity, we see men modeling the biblical principle of iron sharpening iron in a positive way. It helps explain a surprising trend emerging among young men.
According to a recent Gallup survey, 42% of young men <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/708410/rise-young-men-religiosity-realigns-gender-gaps.aspx">now say</a> religion is &#8220;very important&#8221; in their lives, surpassing young women for the first time in the 25 years Gallup has tracked the question.
Why? Because men crave community and brotherhood. They want to be challenged. They want to belong. They want to know their lives matter. Every generation eventually discovers that material success alone is not enough. Young men are searching for purpose, responsibility, and relationships that challenge them to grow, and they want to be part of something larger than themselves.
We believe the ultimate model of masculinity is found in Jesus Christ. He paired strength with humility, combined leadership with service, and expressed love through sacrifice.
Some people will never be comfortable with a UFC event on the White House lawn. That&#8217;s their right. Americans have always disagreed about how best to celebrate our nation and express its values. And sufferers of the infamous derangement syndrome will inevitably dismiss the whole thing as the president throwing himself a birthday party. What is happening on that lawn is far more meaningful than that.
We believe many critics are missing a larger story. The search for what some critics have called throwback masculinity is leading many young men <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/young-men-are-finding-their-way-back-to-something-the-culture-tried-to-replace">back to faith</a>. In our own weekly Bible study, we have seen it lead men back to fathers, coaches, pastors, and mentors.
As America prepares to celebrate 250 years of freedom, our hope is not simply that people remember a historic UFC event. Our hope is that they remember the values that made such a celebration possible in the first place: courage, perseverance, sacrifice, faith, and personal responsibility.
Tonight, millions of Americans will watch what happens inside a cage on the White House lawn. We encourage them also to watch the healthy masculine relationships being built outside the cage. Look at the enthusiasm of our young sons, who but for this fight may have never become interested in celebrating America&#8217;s 250th birthday at all.
And like fathers across this country, we will be hoping they grow into men who love God, serve others, lead their families well, and embrace the responsibilities that come with freedom.
That legacy is worth every fight.
***
Bo Nickal is a mixed martial artist. Michael Burkentine is a real estate developer.

Media Preview Held For UFC Freedom 250 On White House’s South Lawn

The Bigger Story Behind Trump’s White House UFC Event

Freedom 250

Upstream

A new federal lawsuit filed by two Virginia residents is seeking to halt a planned UFC event on the White House South Lawn, launching yet another legal fight over President Donald Trump’s 250th anniversary celebration plans and drawing accusations of “lawfare” from supporters of the administration.
The complaint, filed Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of Vietnam War veteran Paul Romano and senior citizen activist Susan Douglas, challenges the Trump administration’s plan to host a mixed martial arts event on White House grounds as part of the nation’s semiquincentennial celebrations, arguing the spectacle exceeds executive authority and improperly converts federal property into a private venue.
At the center of the dispute is a June 14 event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which the White House has framed as part of broader America 250 commemorations. The lawsuit contends the fight card is “not in any material sense” a national celebration, but rather a commercial spectacle tied to the UFC brand and benefiting both UFC leadership and Trump-aligned business interests.
The plaintiffs argue that the construction of a large-scale fighting arena on the South Lawn, along with associated staging at national landmarks such as the Lincoln Memorial, required congressional approval and environmental review under federal law. They further claim the event amounts to an unauthorized use of government land for private financial gain.
According to the filing, the UFC is selling high-end sponsorship and VIP packages ranging into the seven-figure tier, while additional revenue streams include media rights and promotional partnerships. The complaint also cites Trump’s investment in UFC’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings, as a potential conflict of interest.
Brendan Ballou, founder of the Public Integrity Project and lead counsel in the case, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/07/politics/ufc-fight-white-house-lawsuit?Date=20260607&amp;Profile=CNN&amp;utm_content=1780862834&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter">described</a> the planned event as a “profoundly corrupt scheme” that turns national monuments into branding opportunities for private entities. The lawsuit also alleges that the temporary construction on the South Lawn constitutes a major federal action that should have triggered environmental review procedures.
Romano and Douglas, argue they frequently use and visit the National Mall and surrounding areas and are directly harmed by what they describe as the “aesthetic injury” of converting historic civic spaces into a commercial venue.
One plaintiff, Romano, said in a statement that staging a “for-profit cage fight” at sites such as the White House and Lincoln Memorial represents a misuse of sacred national symbols. The suit also challenges the use of the Lincoln Memorial for ceremonial weigh-ins and other promotional events tied to the fight card.
The Trump administration has dismissed the lawsuit as an attempt to obstruct a lawful and publicly authorized celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, arguing the UFC event falls within permitted commemorative programming. Officials have compared it to other large-scale events hosted on federal grounds and say it is being conducted in coordination with proper approvals.
A White House official, in a statement to <a href="https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/48993111/lawsuit-seeks-shut-ufc-white-house">ESPN</a> defended the event, called the suit “obstructionist” and without merit, insisting the planned programming is consistent with prior national celebrations and accusing critics of attempting to derail a historic public spectacle.
The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta — an Obama appointed judge — who will first determine whether the plaintiffs have standing to proceed before considering an emergency injunction request aimed at stopping construction and halting the event altogether.
The lawsuit adds to a growing series of legal challenges targeting high-profile Trump-era initiatives in Washington, D.C., many of which center on claims of improper use of federal property and executive authority. However, the pattern reflects an increasingly aggressive use of litigation to delay or derail political and cultural events tied to the president’s agenda.
A ruling on the injunction request is expected in the coming days as construction continues on the South Lawn ahead of the scheduled fight.

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Someone’s Trying To Stop The UFC’s White House Fight

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