UFC Freedom 250: How much stock does Trump own in UFC parent company TKO?

UFC Freedom 250 is set to be “the greatest show on Earth,” according to President Donald Trump. The event will be held on the South Lawn of the White House, with access limited to just 4,000 seats.

The rest of Washington, D.C.’s UFC fans who wanted to see the action up close will have to attend a screening “in the park right across the street (Lafayette Park),” per Trump. This is a remarkably small attendance for an event designed to honor the nation’s 250th birthday; approximately 0.001% of the U.S. population will actually be inside the celebration.

Trump’s thousands spent on TKO stock

Almost three months before the first professional sporting event takes place on the White House grounds, President Trump purchased between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of stock in TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of UFC.

The purchase was made on March 25, just over two weeks after the UFC Freedom 250 fight card was publicly revealed. The acquisition of the TKO stock was later made public in Trump’s May 8 financial disclosures, which were made available through the U.S. Office of Government Ethics.

White House spokesman Davis Ingle told The Athletic: “President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public — which is why they overwhelmingly re-elected him to this office, despite years of lies and false accusations against him and his businesses. President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children. There are no conflicts of interest.”

Trump’s investments are held in a revocable trust managed by his eldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, along with independent wealth management firms. However, an important detail to highlight is that this is not a blind trust—which is explicitly structured to ensure the owner has no control over the trust’s activities.

UFC at the White House on Trump’s 80th Birthday

While many expected the event to be celebrated on Independence Day, it is instead being held on Flag Day, falling right on President Trump’s 80th birthday. Because Flag Day is not a federal holiday, only one state, Pennsylvania, recognizes it as a paid day off. This leaves millions of working Americans without the opportunity to watch the event.

According to UFC CEO Dana White, President Trump will personally hand out 1,000 tickets, White will receive 200, and TKO Group Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel will distribute 200. The remaining seats will be allocated to various branches of the military, but the guest list is facing strict physical scrutiny.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made it clear that there will be no “fat troops” or “fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon” allowed at the event, enforcing strict weight, height, and uniform compliance for all active duty attendees.

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