For months, Dana White has been hyping UFC Freedom 250 as a landmark event. One that could shape the promotion’s future for years to come. Much of the MMA community has bought into the excitement. Yet attracting some box office barons to the June 14 card on the White House South Lawn appears to have proven a far greater challenge.

White spoke to Time late last month, revealing that tickets to 1,200 of 4,300 seats will go to military personnel. And the rest will be divided among the UFC, White House, and the TKO Group. The UFC CEO claimed that he had invited the likes of Adam Sandler, Guy Ritchie, Tom Brady, Jared Leto, Jason Statham, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, and Mario Lopez. But a report from Vanity Fair has revealed most of them aren’t coming. 

According to the New York-based media outlet, few will actually show up for the event. They cited a source close to ‘The Rock,’ who told them that the Fast and Furious star won’t be coming. Meanwhile, they claimed representatives of Sandler, Leto and Lopez say they won’t be joining the historic MMA event either. VF didn’t receive responses from the other stars, and the UFC or White have also refused to comment on the guest list. 

Interestingly, though, ‘The Rock’ previously appeared in UFC 244 in 2019 and even presented the inaugural ‘BMF title to Jorge Masvidal. But the invitations to these stars really show where the promotion’s priorities lie. Because UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall recently revealed that he wasn’t invited to the event even though he may actually end up fighting the winner of the co-main event fight between Alex Pereira and Cyril Gane.

But even then, top-dollar donors, lobbyists, and members of Congress have all been chasing a ticket to the event for days. The ones eager to join celebrations for America’s 250th birthday, or as others see it, celebrations for Trump’s 80th birthday, may be looking to seek approval from the MAGA crowd. However, the apparent boycott of the event may also show the growing trend in the current state of politics in the country. 

Dana White has claimed that Trump, who was the first to announce the idea of the event, has 1,000 tickets. Meanwhile, White and TKO Group chairman Ari Emanuel have been allotted 200 tickets each. Reports suggest Trump has personally selected a number of allies to attend the event, while others have secured seats by paying more than $1 million for premium sponsorship packages. 

As for the cost of the event, TKO president Mark Shapiro has previously claimed that they will spend around $60 million on the card. While TKO is not expecting the event to turn a profit, Shapiro has indicated that roughly $30 million in sponsorship revenue should help offset the costs. And as fight night draws closer, the White House South Lawn has undergone a dramatic transformation. 

Crews have been installing a massive lighting structure known as ‘The Claw.’ However, the construction has come at a price, with significant damage to the lawn reportedly leaving the UFC facing an additional $700,000 repair bill. Despite the rising costs, UFC CEO Dana White hasn’t slowed down his support for the President, making multiple appearances on podcasts and in interviews to defend Trump.

Meanwhile, besides the actors, a couple of UFC fighters are also unhappy about the event. Bantamweight star Bryce Mitchell claimed the government shouldn’t get involved in sports. And accused the Trump administration of spending tax money on sports. Meanwhile, UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland was banned from the event over his comments on the Iran war.

Considering all that, White’s attempt to portray the event as the most significant milestone in the promotion’s history rings hollow. The boycott by several celebrities, coupled with the absence of some of the UFC’s own fighters, only underscores the growing disdain the organization has attracted. In any case, Adam Sandler, Jared Leto, and Dwayne Johnson are far from the only figures who have declined to take part in Freedom 250.

Donald Trump attacks artists who dropped out of Freedom 250 celebrations

Before the fighting begins on June 14, there are set to be several events set for celebrating America’s 250th birthday. It included some musical performances, but cracks are appearing in the lineup. Several artists, including Young MC, Morris Day, the Commodores, Martina McBride, and Poison frontman Bret Michaels, announced they would no longer participate. 

They claimed that they were misled about the event’s political affiliations. Trump didn’t take this kindly. He mocked the performers on Truth Social, calling them “third-rate” and claiming they had gotten “the yips” about appearing at the event. He also floated the idea of replacing the entertainment lineup with an “AMERICA IS BACK Rally” in Washington, DC. 

The artists said they had been told the event was nonpartisan. Young MC said performers were not informed about any “political involvement with the event.” Meanwhile, McBride stated she had been offered a role in a “nonpartisan event” but found that description “misleading.” 

It appears the UFC Freedom 250 event, or the entire weekend, in a way, has already started falling apart. Hopefully, such things are not overshadowing what’s to come on June 14.