The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) delayed the fight at the White House by an hour, due to thunderstorms, according to multiple reports.
Greg Rosenstein, a sports editor with NBC News, shared in a post on X that the “production” of UFC Freedom 250 fight at the White House would start at 8 p.m., while the fights would “begin at 9 p.m.”
“Per UFC: the production of UFC Freedom 250 will start at 8 p.m. now, and fights begin at 9 p.m. ET,” Rosenstein said.
The New York Post reported that the “seven-fight event had been projected to last until about four hours with no plans to halt the action for anything short of lightning”:
The seven-fight event had been projected to last until about four hours with no plans to halt the action for anything short of lightning in the area — the one weather element that gives the UFC no choice but to pause for at least 30 minutes. But Weather Channel projections called for a 57 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms in the 8 p.m. hour and a 100 percent certainty of thunderstorms in the 9 p.m. hour.
UFC boss Dana White has previously stated he doesn’t care “if it snows, rains, whatever,” according to the outlet.
“You guys all played sports when you were growing up — whenever there was lightning, you’d sit the lightning out, and then when it was over, you played,” White said. “That’s what we’ll do.”