It turns out that Dana White‘s massive UFC Freedom 250 event on June 14 on the White House South Lawn put together to mark Donald Trump‘s 80th birthday as well as America’s 250th anniversay was almost a disaster behind the scenes. While most fans were watching Justin Gaethje pull off a stunning upset over then-lightweight champ Ilia Topuria, federal agents were apparently scrambling to stop what authorities characterized as quite a complex terror plot. The alleged plan included explosive-packed drones and even a sniper team, orchestrated to transform the massive fight night into a nightmare scenario. Despite authorities working behind-the-scenes to uncover the plan and arrest the conspirators, the event was allowed to proceed. This begs the question why it was allowed to happen despite the knowledge that a group was actively looking to target it.

According to FBI Deputy Director Chris Raia, investigators felt totally comfortable in allowing the fighters to enter the cage because they had the entire conspiracy under lockdown days before the first bell rang.

“We were confident that we had the leaders, the main plotters of that, so the rest of the folks were more of the followers that you’re seeing now,” Raia told Fox News. “We had that contained, or what I would call mitigated, very early on even though we didn’t do the arrests.

“We were watching the folks that were planning it. We had them under surveillance. And so we knew that nobody was even close to the DC area at the time that was happening.”

According to court documents and sources who spoke with The Washington Post, the claimed attack was much more elaborate than anyone suspected at the time. According to investigators, a group of radicalized TikTok users had planned the attack using encrypted Signal chats, devising a multi-stage attack to create maximum chaos and casualities.

As per reports, the first move was to fly explosive-laden drones near the White House to cause panic among the crowd. Authorities believe the true danger would have begun once people began fleeing. As thousands of frightened spectators rushed off the South Lawn, a hidden sniper team was supposed to target high-profile figures such as Donald Trump and other top government officials.

However, the conspiracy didn’t end there; a second wave of attackers was reportedly prepared to move in and breach the White House grounds during the commotion.

Fortunately, the FBI was able to infiltrate the group’s digital inner circle just days before the event, eventually locating the cell to a staging area in Fredericksburg, Virginia. While five leaders were detained quickly around June 10, two more defendants were arrested later closer to the day of the event.

However, Chris Raia downplayed the threat posed by the other suspects, referring to them as “followers” rather than active orchestrators.

“We were confident that we had the leaders,” he said. “The main plotters of that, so the rest of the folks were more of the followers that you’re seeing now.”

However, the operation was not without its complications. According to reports, the Secret Service wanted to wait until they had caught every single suspect before informing the public about the investigation, fearing that premature headlines would alert the stragglers.

There was reportedly some disagreement behind the scenes, with the Secret Service raising concerns about the risks involved. In the end, the FBI and the Secret Service jointly agreed the event could proceed as planned, believing the FBI’s surveillance network was powerful enough to detect any suspicious behavior before it reached the capital.

“That was a joint case with us and the Secret Service,” Raia added. “We all talked about that as a group and made that decision to move forward with the UFC 250 event.”

It is worth noting that according to UFC CEO Dana White, apart from the original terror plot, there were other threats made against the White House event. However, while the political world focused on the security breach, the head honcho was busy marveling at how smoothly the federal government agents handled absolute chaos.

Dana White applauds the feds for foiling multiple attacks

Speaking with TMZ Sports a day after the event, Dana White revealed that the drone-and-sniper plot wasn’t the only threat the promotion faced that weekend.

“There was more than [that plot],” the UFC CEO said. “These are the kind of events that bring the nuts out; this is normal stuff. I mean, these guys are so good at what they do.

“Listen, here’s the reality: There was no safer place in America to be on Sunday night than in DC.”

Major sporting events have long been viewed as attractive targets by extremists, especially after tragedies such as the Munich massacre and the Boston Marathon bombing. These events changed the way security forces approached high-profile public gatherings, particularly ones involving political leaders or massive crowds.

In this case, however, authorities claim the threat never came close to becoming a reality. With FBI counterterrorism agents allegedly tracking the suspects’ movements at all times, the Secret Service was comfortable allowing the historic fight card to go ahead smoothly.

Fight fans got an unforgettable night of action inside a heavily secured perimeter, while the operation behind the scenes ensured the event ended safely and without disruption.