A glimpse has emerged of the giant arena being installed on the White House lawn ahead of an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event timed to President Donald Trump's 80th birthday next month.
According to AP and AFP on the 26th local time, multiple cranes were spotted on the South Lawn, the White House's south lawn, hoisting massive metal arch structures to raise the arena's frame.
The event is the UFC Freedom 250, one of the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the United States' founding. June 14, when the event will be held, also coincides with President Trump's 80th birthday.
On the 7th, President Trump invited UFC fighters to the Oval Office to promote the event and released a rendering showing an octagonal UFC arena installed at the center of the White House lawn.
At the time, he explained that about 4,500 people would be able to watch the matches from inside the White House, and that up to 100,000 people could watch for free via large screens installed outside the grounds.
Surrounded by UFC fighters, President Trump said, "We are going to have an incredible event," adding, "It's something that has never happened before and will never happen again."
In March, UFC also said the event was expected to consist of six bouts in total, including a lightweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje.
President Trump is known as an avid fan who frequently attends UFC events and has maintained a long-standing friendship with UFC.
The White House South Lawn, where the UFC arena will be set up, is considered a symbolic space where key moments in modern U.S. political history have unfolded.
In 1974, former President Richard Nixon, after he released his resignation in the wake of the Watergate scandal, left the White House from here, boarding a military helicopter and flashing a "V" sign.
AFP assessed that President Trump, a former reality show star, is creating another distinctive political event by hosting a mixed martial arts tournament at the White House.
However, controversy has also arisen over holding a combat sports event in the highly symbolic White House space. In particular, with international oil prices and living costs rising due to the aftermath of the Iran war, some say the event expense is excessively high.
In response, the White House said UFC would cover the full event expense and that no U.S. taxpayer money would be used.
In February, UFC's parent company said the event expense was expected to reach at least $60 million (902.64 billion won) and noted it hoped to cover about half through sponsorships from corporations and others.