Idman.biz
Federal Judge Amit Mehta has rejected a request to block the "UFC Freedom 250" from being held on the White House's South Lawn.
According to Idman.Biz, citing MMA Junkie, the event between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje will proceed as planned.
A lawsuit was filed by the Public Integrity Project, which claims that the decision to hold the event violates federal law and the US National Park Service's internal regulations. The plaintiffs also sought to halt the construction of a temporary arena and cancel a pre-tournament press conference at the Lincoln Memorial.
However, the court ruled that the plaintiffs failed to prove that the actions of the authorities directly affected their rights. Additionally, according to Mehta, the organizers will not cause irreparable harm to the environment, and the structure itself is temporary and will be dismantled on June 15.
The court's decision notes that the arena, called "The Claw", has been criticized by opponents of the event, who have called it "ugly" and "frightening". However, the court did not find sufficient grounds to cancel the tournament.
According to the court, the UFC plans to spend about $700,000 to restore the White House lawn after the event.
