{"id":2828,"date":"2026-06-15T05:01:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T12:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/15\/trump-celebrates-80th-birthday-with-an-iran-deal-and-ufc-cage-fights-at-the-white-house\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T05:01:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T12:01:31","slug":"trump-celebrates-80th-birthday-with-an-iran-deal-and-ufc-cage-fights-at-the-white-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/15\/trump-celebrates-80th-birthday-with-an-iran-deal-and-ufc-cage-fights-at-the-white-house\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump celebrates 80th birthday with an Iran deal and UFC cage fights at the White House"},"content":{"rendered":"
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WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump marked his 80th birthday on Sunday by hailing an initial agreement to end the war in Iran and staging a once unfathomable cage-fighting show on the White House\u2019s storied South Lawn.<\/p>

Read more Iran and US reach a tentative deal to end the war and open Strait of Hormuz but challenges remain<\/a><\/p>\n

Trump had been touting the emerging deal for weeks and the continuing conflict threatened to overshadow the UFC mixed martial arts extravaganza, where combatants inside a wire-mesh Octagon tried to punch, kick, chop and pummel each other into submission.<\/p>\n

Ahead of the event, however, the president said an agreement to end the conflict \u201cis now complete.\u201d He declared that the U.S. will end its blockade of Iran, and that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen. Crucial details still need negotiating over the coming weeks, however.<\/p>\n

Top administration officials and Republican leaders attended the fights, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Polish President Karol Nawrocki was also at the White House.<\/p>\n

It started with Trump and UFC chief Dana White walked together from the Oval Office to the Blue Room Balcony to survey the Octagon, standing for the national anthem as fighter jets thundered overhead.<\/p>\n

Thousands of spectators crowded into the temporary arena under \u201cThe Claw,\u201d a spaceship-like metal arch fitted with lights, sound equipment and large screens. Thousands more watched on big screens from the nearby Ellipse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis event is a one of one event, incredible event,\u201d said White, a close friend of the president\u2019s, during a Friday night hype session at the Lincoln Memorial, where pairs of fighters shoved and scuffled for the cameras under the stoic gaze of Honest Abe\u2019s marble likeness.<\/p>

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Before Sunday\u2019s final fight, lightweight fighters Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, who wrapped himself in an American flag, each stepped out of the Oval Office and walked to the Octagon \u2014 meaning Trump even ceded his workspace as part of the show.<\/p>\n

The American Gaethje then stunned Spanish-Georgian Topuria to win after four rounds that left copious blood on the cage floor. Trump later headed inside the cage to shake hands and watch a fireworks display that launched well after 1 a.m.<\/p>\n

That capped a night where many of the winning fighters thanked Trump and God. Heavyweight Josh Hokit took it further with an extraordinary and unfounded attack based on a right-wing conspiracy theory about a former first lady: \u201cMichelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hokit also headed over to Trump and placed a chain around the president\u2019s neck.<\/p>

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