It was back on April 10, 2010, when the UFC staged its first-ever open-air event at the Concert Arena on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island. Since then, despite organizing massive stadium shows, the promotion has largely stuck to staging events inside enclosed arenas. But come June 14, that tradition is set to change as the UFC Freedom 250 unfolds on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C.

Yet, the event, only the second outdoor card in the promotion’s decades-long history, has once again raised questions about how well fighters can adapt to conditions that differ sharply from fully enclosed venues. Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Diego Lopes, and Steve Garcia, two fighters who will face off on the event’s main card, reflected on the challenges that often come with fighting outdoors.

“Yeah, actually two times. One time in Brazil, back in 2014, I fought in an open space outdoors,” Lopes replied when Helwani asked whether he had ever fought outside before. “Then I was supposed to fight in Mexico too, I think in 2016, but that time it wasn’t possible because right before my fight started to happen, it began to rain and they stopped the event. Everyone had to leave the place.”

While the former title challenger did not reveal specific details, his comments appear to align with his fight record, which shows a cancelled event scheduled for June 11, 2016, where he was expected to face Edgar Cabello in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. The card was reportedly labeled “MAX Fights: Battle On The Beach.”

Lopes further shared how he was all but ready to fight when it started pouring, forcing organizers to cancel the card. When Helwani asked whether he would have continued despite the conditions, the Brazilian replied that he would have since he’s getting paid to do so.

In contrast, Lopes’ upcoming opponent Steve Garcia offered a far more vivid account of competing outdoors.

“I fought outdoors twice,” Garcia said. “And the one that kind of stuck out to me—because the first one was at night—you did deal with the bugs. It was back in my amateur days for this one. All the lights—it’s funny because it was in Carlsbad (a city in California), and it was one of my amateur fights—all the lights in the back had to get shifted forward to the Octagon. We had no light in the back to warm up, so we were blindsided.”

“Everybody was with their phones, and we were wrapping our hands and hitting pads with the lights from our phones. Then we walked to the cage. People didn’t think about that. So that was one instance. But yeah, there were bugs and stuff, and it was at night, so it wasn’t terrible. It was still probably about 75 degrees, so it wasn’t bad.”

However, the conditions were far harsher when Garcia fought outside for the second time. According to him, temperature climbed to 85 degrees, forcing organizers at the State Fairgrounds in Albuquerque to throw tubs of ice onto the canvas to keep it cool.

That detail prompted Helwani to ask whether the melted ice made the canvas slippery. So Garcia explained how the officials repeatedly dumped ice between rounds and even during the fight before wiping the surface down with towels so the action could continue safely. He later admitted he often tried staying on the shadier side of the cage to avoid direct exposure to the sun.

Unsurprisingly, like Lopes, Garcia also painted a practical picture in which the demands of the job outweighed personal comfort.

Dana White remains firm despite concerns surrounding outdoor conditions

Against that backdrop, several voices have already raised concerns about the UFC staging an outdoors event. One of the loudest came from the promotion’s celebrated commentator Joe Rogan.

“I just don’t think you should compete in a world championship fight in a non-controlled environment,” Rogan said. “It should be inside an air-conditioned arena.”

He cited multiple concerns, including extreme heat, dehydration, and even insects given the event’s outdoor setup on the White House lawn. Temperatures in the U.S. capital can approach 100 degrees by the middle of the year, which also coincides with severe thunderstorm season.

“You wouldn’t ask them to play a world championship basketball game outside in the sun,” he added. “That’s how it should be.”

But Dana White remains adamant that the event will move forward regardless of the conditions. While not a big fan of outdoor cards, the UFC CEO acknowledged the many uncontrollable factors involved.

“Heavy winds will suck. If it’s muggy and bugs. All this kind of s*** is the stuff you have to deal with when you do it outside, but we’re going through all of it. If any of those things happen, it doesn’t matter; we’re still going.”

To that end, as a contingency measure, White has already confirmed the promotion is working with the military to monitor weather conditions. He added that the schedule remains flexible enough for the card to begin earlier or later, depending on the circumstances.

So fighters and fans can only pray that no such untoward incident takes place as one of UFC’s most historic progresses to the grand finale.