While Oscar De La Hoya’s feud with Dana White has entered combat sports lore, few could have imagined it would one day entangle the highest office in the nation.

The upcoming UFC Freedom 250 show, set to unfold on the White House’s southern lawn, has given De La Hoya fresh grounds to take aim at White, President Trump, and the TKO group. Appearing on an emergency edition of his hugely popular Thursday ClapBack, the former world champion turned promoter claimed the event, which has already come under intense scrutiny for alleged political overtones, reeks of corruption.

“So the corruption is just fucking crazy with Zuffa and TKO,” he said. “I tried to tell you this when I went to Washington last month. But it runs deeper than I ever imagined, man. Look, Uncle Fester (Dana White) has been running his mouth about this stupid UFC event at the White House.”

“Yeah, yeah, he’s a f**king Neanderthal; we all know that,” he added. “But Americans are f**king tired of his sh*t and they’re finally speaking up. A retired Air Force sergeant and a Vietnam War veteran, they filed a lawsuit to stop Uncle Fester and the UFC event from happening, stating that it’s illegal. Illegal to stage a private, for-profit sports event on the White House grounds. Look, I agree with him.”

The lawsuit Oscar De La Hoya referred to was brought by plaintiffs Paul Romano, a retired Air Force sergeant and Vietnam War medevac veteran, and Susan Douglas, a civic activist and organizer. The legal challenge also appears to have backing from the public watchdog Public Integrity Project. Both Romano and Douglas are Virginia residents who have spent years working to preserve important public monuments and historic spaces in Washington, D.C.

The lawsuit argues that sports events are generally prohibited on federal parklands like the White House South Lawn and Lincoln Memorial. While there is an exception tied to America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, the plaintiffs claim that exception only applies to government-organized events.

According to the filing, the UFC itself is organizing and operating the event, not official government agencies or the semiquincentennial commission.

The complaint also challenges the legality of a giant UFC structure called “the Claw,” arguing that the federal law prohibits such structures on Washington, D.C., parklands without congressional approval.

The lawsuit further claims taxpayers may bear the cost of damage caused by the event, with Dana White allegedly estimating South Lawn repairs at around $700,000.

It also argues that no public environmental review has been released despite federal requirements for major projects with significant impacts, while referencing the demolition of the White House East Wing as another burden on taxpayers.

De la Hoya’s criticisms extended beyond the venue, touching on reports that President Trump bought TKO Holding Group’s stocks worth between $15k and $50k just weeks after Dana White had announced the White House card.

“I mean, he will benefit from the rising stock and sales of VIP packages to the event, which are priced at more than a million dollars per,” De La Hoya added. “I mean, conflict of interest to anybody? Not to mention the disrespect to our country. They’re using the Lincoln Memorial for the UFC press conference, which is a slap in the face to every American soldier who fought for this country.”

De La Hoya concluded by saying he will provide more details about the controversy on Thursday while joking that he might follow promoter Ben Shalom’s example, who filed a lawsuit against Dana White recently.

Oscar De La Hoya’s remarks and Dana White’s vision for the White House card

At first glance, this might appear to be another De La Hoya rant directed at Dana White & Co., a feud that stretches back years. Most recently, he even joined Muhammad Ali’s grandson Nico Ali Walsh at a senatorial hearing where they spoke against the TKO Group-backed Ali Revival Act. De La Hoya has also previously criticized President Trump over his anti-immigration policies and even accused him of using underhanded tactics during a golf game.

Still, some of the points he raised have helped fuel a narrative that has increasingly shifted away from sports and toward a growing controversy involving politics and business.

The controversy has also sparked reactions from within the UFC itself, particularly following comments made by Sean Strickland and Bryce Mitchell, with the latter calling the event an “egregious use of political favor.”

Faced with increasing scrutiny, White has already made his stand on what the White House event means clear. He insisted the main purpose of UFC Freedom 250 is to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, telling that story from the opening bout to the main event.

Pushing back against the criticism that the event is politically motivated, he argued that people from both the political right and left are overreacting, since the basic objective behind staging the event is to be a unifying celebration for all Americans.

With just 6 days left before the event unfolds in Washington D.C the intensity of the criticisms only expected to increase. What matters more is whether the concerns, particularly the lawsuit, will lead to any abrupt cancellation or a landmark ruling that may place future events of this scale under stricter guidelines.