Dana White very likely saw this coming. And now, the 56-year-old has shared his thoughts on the federal lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., this past Saturday by the Public Integrity Project, a watchdog group, to stop the UFC Freedom 250 card from happening. The watchdog group also filed an injunction on Sunday for the same reason, but none of it appears to have surprised Dana White.

“We were expecting a lawsuit,” Dana White told reporters Tuesday in Washington. “We expected everything coming into this event. We thought it would be sooner. We knew it was going to come. We didn’t know who or how, but we knew it was coming.”

The UFC CEO refused to comment further on the lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of two plaintiffs: Susan Douglas, an activist, and Paul Romano, a Vietnam War veteran. It names the National Park Service and members of its leadership, and the Interior Department and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum as the defendants in the suit.

The group argues that the administration violated multiple federal laws to facilitate what it describes as a “deeply corrupt scheme to hand the White House South Lawn and Lincoln Memorial to a private, for-profit sports promoter in violation of federal law.” The lawsuit claims that a private commercial sporting event that has been packaged as a patriotic celebration. The suit centers on a National Park Service rule that allows the agency to bypass normal permits for events marking the 250th anniversary of the US’ independence.

However, the law applies only to events that are planned, organized, and executed by the federal government. The lawsuit argues that UFC Freedom 250 fails to meet that standard. However, it’s worth noting that the event is completely organized by the UFC and TKO with only partial support from the federal government. As a result, the filing characterizes the card as a celebration of the UFC brand and President Trump’s 80th birthday.

While legal experts agree with the validity of the suit, many believe it’s a steep hill to climb when it comes to stopping it from happening.

“[The event] does raise some plausible concerns about violations of the law,” Daniel Rohlf, a law professor, told USA Today. “From a legal perspective, the plaintiffs are looking at a really big challenge.”

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time either the Trump administration or the UFC has found itself at the end of a lawsuit. Within just the first few months of taking office for his second term, over 120 lawsuits were filed against his administration according to data tracked by New York University. Meanwhile, the UFC and its parent company have faced their own share of lawsuits, with the 2014 antitrust lawsuit being the major one.

Regardless, after the filing of the recent suit, one White House official dismissed the lawsuit, claiming it was an “obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory lawsuit” brought forth only to prevent Donald Trump from hosting the event.

The lawsuit likely won’t stop the event from happening, and the court might not readily grant the injunction, even though the idea stemmed from Donald Trump. In the meantime, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has also responded to the lawsuit. 

DOJ slams lawsuit aimed to stop UFC Freedom 250

According to a report from the Washington Examiner, the DOJ has urged a federal judge to reject the last-minute lawsuit. They argue that the lawsuit has come way too late and will cause severe disruption. In a filing submitted Tuesday, DOJ attorneys emphasized that the event was announced nearly a year ago, with dates confirmed months in advance and preparations visible for weeks.

The department argued that organizers, attendees, and fighters have already invested substantial time and resources into the event. The filing highlighted the millions of dollars spent, extensive labor involved, and months of training undertaken by the 14 fighters scheduled to compete.

 “It would be easy enough to simply avert their gazes for the weekend,” the filing stated.

The department added that the plaintiffs were attempting to “impose their idiosyncratic preferences on the rest of the country” and “ruin an event designed to celebrate the United States of America.”

It appears the event is likely to move forward despite the lawsuit. However, it would be interesting to see what happens to the lawsuit or if the court decides to entertain the plea and grant an injunction.