- US troops get free tickets to President Trump's UFC event at the White House next month
- Only military members meeting body composition and fitness standards qualify for tickets
- Recipients must pay travel costs and preference goes to junior enlisted and officers
US military troops will receive free tickets to President Donald Trump's UFC cage-fighting event at the White House, scheduled for next month, albeit with a caveat. They cannot be unfit. One of the memos sent to service members explicitly states that tickets will only be given to those who meet military body composition standards.
"Ticket recipients are required to meet the DOW waist-to-height ratio standard of less than 0.55, as well as all service-specific physical fitness test requirements," one of the memos sent to service members says, as per CNN.
The 0.55 figure aligns with the new Defence Department standards implemented earlier this year, which adopted the waist-to-height ratio as the primary metric for measuring a service member's warfighting readiness.
Selected military members, however, must pay their own way to Washington DC and preference will be given to junior enlisted and junior officers who are "genuine UFC fans". Troops will also be required to wear their short-sleeve dress uniforms
The UFC has long been popular with troops, with numerous active-duty personnel and veterans competing in its cage fights. At least 1,200 of the approximately 4,300 seats on the White House lawn will go to active military members, according to a report in the Times.
“This will be one of the greatest and most historic sports events in history, and President Trump hosting it at the White House is a testament to his vision to celebrate America's monumental 250th anniversary,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement.
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White House UFC Event
The mixed-martial-arts fights, billed as UFC Freedom 250, will be held in an octagon-shaped cage that is currently being erected on the South Lawn. The UFC fight is part of a series of events that Trump has planned for America's 250th-birthday celebration that also coincides with his 80th birthday.
The cage and stage will themselves be surrounded by thousands of temporary seats, including ringside space for a full marching band that can set the entire scene to blaring music.
Dana White, UFC's chief executive, said the event will cost his company $30 million to stage and defended it as an act of patriotism.
“You can make anything political if you want to,” White said. “I love this country like anybody on the left loves this country. I love this country like anybody on the right loves this country. This is basically me spending a s***load of money to celebrate the 250th birthday of America, with America and the rest of the world.”
Additional large screens broadcasting the fights will be set up in a park at the nearby Ellipse, and the UFC has said it plans to issue as many as 85,000 free tickets to accommodate spectators at both locations.
