UFC 250 start time fights tonight live, main card: How to watch MMA fights from White House lawn as Donald Trump hosts Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje, Alex Pereira, other matches

UFC Freedom 250 event is set to be live on Sunday as Donald Trump hosts a card of seven mixed martial arts fights to be held inside a specially built arena on the White House's South Lawn on his 80th birthday, a spectacle spotlighting his norm-defying style at a tense moment in his presidency.

Trump is set to watch 14 mixed martial arts fighters from five countries try to kick, punch and grapple their way to a victory before an expected audience of 4,000 people inside a 92-foot-tall (28 meters) makeshift venue, nicknamed "The Claw." The main event, scheduled for up to five rounds, features UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria against former interim titleholder Justin Gaethje.

The fights are set to begin at 8 p.m. (ET) even though the main event will start at 11 p.m. (ET). UFC Freedom 250 will be broadcast live on Paramount+.

UFC Freedom 250 Fight Card

1. Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje for the UFC lightweight title
2. Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title
3. Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi; Bantamweights
4. Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis; Heavyweights
5. Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler; Lightweights
6. Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus; Middleweights
7. Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia; Featherweights

Tickets were not sold publicly. UFC offered some to guests paying more than $1 million, according to a person familiar with the matter. A quarter of the audience will be military service members, according to the Trump administration.

UFC has said it spent more than $60 million on the event and will not make a profit. In the run-up, Trump's trust purchased stock in TKO Group Holdings while a company that licenses the president's likeness marketed commemorative coins for as much as $12,000. One of the event's sponsors, Crypto. com, previously partnered with Trump Media & Technology Group.

Seventeen months into his second term in office, Trump has repeatedly pushed the boundaries of the U.S. presidency to command attention and project strength. His latest stage is the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Octagon, the eight-sided cage erected within eyeshot of his White House bedroom for the event titled "UFC Freedom 250." That is a reference to the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding next month.