The countdown to UFC Freedom 250 is underway, with about 93 days remaining until the June 14th event on the South Lawn of the White House. However, a regulatory dispute has already put the card at risk, especially regarding whether its fights will carry any official standing at all.

The promotion will return to D.C. for the first time in over six years, having last visited the district in December 2019 for UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik. Over its two previous Washington outings, Dana White‘s UFC had obtained the required permits from the D.C. Combat Sports Commission each time, as is the case for all combat sports events held in the district. For UFC Freedom 250, however, the promotion is refusing to follow the precedent.

Andrew Huff, chairperson of the D.C. Combat Sports Commission, has revealed that the UFC contacted him and stated they do not intend to obtain the $100 permit this time around since the event is “taking place on federal land.” UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner confirmed the same during a recent interview with MMA Junkie.

“The White House is federal land,” Ratner explained. “The Parks & Recreation (department) are the ones who run it. We’re talking. We need to find out exactly what the perimeters are.”

The commission, however, was taken aback by the decision. Under D.C. law, fighters, managers, and promoters are all required to hold occupational licensure to participate in combat sports within the district. However, since the White House is on federal land, the UFC is contending that it does not need to adhere to local laws of the district.

“We don’t know anything,” Andrew Huff said. “Every promoter in the District of Columbia should be and is held to the same standard, whether you’re putting on a small wrestling show or a major event. I’m concerned about precedent. What happens when someone puts on a boxing match in Malcolm X Park? They don’t need to get us involved?”

The commission also mandates that fighters submit medical reports and undergo examinations conducted by commission-assigned doctors. However, for the June 14 event, the UFC has even proposed using its own doctors instead, a suggestion the commission rejected outright, noting that doctors employed by the promotion cannot act impartially.

Huff has been vocal about the implications. Without a permit, any bouts held would be considered unsanctioned, meaning wins and losses would not appear on fighters’ official records.

Andrew Huff also pushed back on the notion that the commission’s role is merely bureaucratic. Aside from licensing, the commission performs cage-side duties, including checking fighters’ hands before they enter the Octagon to ensure nothing prohibited is brought inside. He emphasized that while he doesn’t want to suggest that fighters would be in outright danger without commission oversight, its absence removes a meaningful layer of protection. If the UFC proceeds without a permit, Huff confirmed, the commission has the authority to issue a fine.

UFC receives warning over missed sanctioning approvals

The D.C. commission has not been alone in voicing concern over the precedent this would set. The NYSAC chairperson, N. Nick Perry, also weighed in, stating that it “does not send the right message.”

“Wherever the land is, I would suspect that local law would be applicable,” Perry explained. “Laws should apply across the board to everybody, especially laws that govern things like boxing and games where there are certain standards that are expected to be maintained.”

Despite the pushback, no response has come from the UFC publicly, and neither D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser nor the White House has issued any statement on the matter. Huff confirmed that Ratner had contacted the commission back in November, confirming their plans. However, in February, when Marc Ratner contacted them again, they revealed the surprising decision “to not work through the commission.” Andrew Huff described this as an example of federal overreach into local regulatory affairs.

President Trump first announced the White House event during a speech last July at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, originally floating a 4th of July date, before moving it to June 14th.

Regardless, if the UFC maintains its current position and the fights proceed without sanctioning, the results from one of the most expensive events in the promotion’s history could be rendered unofficial. This means all the fights likely won’t be recognized in their official records, regardless of the outcome. This could be a significant wrinkle for a card being billed as a landmark celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, headlined by not one, but two title fights.