While the UFC was preparing to hold the Freedom 250 pre-fight press conference at the iconic Lincoln Memorial, many feared that the weather might adversely affect the event. Those concerns increased when NBC Washington reported that storm warnings had been issued earlier for Washington, D.C., Montgomery County, Maryland, and multiple counties across Virginia as well. Soon, social media was flooded with clips showing rain pouring over the South Lawn, where the UFC had constructed its massive makeshift arena. The downpour lingered far longer than expected, disrupting preparations and ultimately delaying the start of the highly anticipated press conference.

“Due to inclement weather, the UFC White House Press Conference has moved to 9:00 p.m. ET,” the UFC shared on X. “We advise all attendees to arrive no earlier than 8:30 p.m. ET. Please check weather conditions before traveling.”

Though the UFC appealed to fans to arrive at the press conference later due to the bad weather, some fans were already present at the Lincoln Memorial and were growing increasingly tired of waiting for what seemed like hours now. Frustrated by the prolonged delay, many began chanting. 

“Fans at the Lincoln Memorial started chanting ‘F–k you Dana after the UFC White House press conference got delayed,” fightwavee shared on Instagram. 

The accompanying clip showed many joining in the chant aimed at the UFC CEO. It’s not only the fans who faced trouble because of the rain delay. One of the two media buses of Fox Sports Australia also reportedly turned back to the UFC hotel due to heavy rain and potential concerns over thunderstorms. With the weather already impacting the UFC’s once-in-a-lifetime event at the White House, the promotion has stated that it has taken measures to deal with the rainy conditions. In fact, Dana White previously assured fans that rain would not stop the event from going ahead.

“I mean, if you read the internet, the f—ing whole show is getting shut down on Sunday,” White said on Tuesday. “But I don’t care if it snows, rains, whatever; we’re going—and even lightning. You guys all played sports when you were growing up. Whenever there was lightning, you’d sit the lightning out, and then when it was over, you played. That’s what we’ll do. And if there would be lightning, we’d know it days before, and then we would work around it.”

The UFC CEO is certainly optimistic about the Freedom 250 event going ahead despite the rain. However, history shows that the promotion once canceled the open workouts ahead of UFC Fight Night 77 in 2015 after heavy rains began lashing the arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil. While the event still took place indoors, things are different this time around. Still, for now, things are looking positive for the White House event, as the press conference has finally gotten underway with Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier kicking off their part of the show.

Now, with the UFC Freedom 250 press conference finally underway, a UFC official has outlined the conditions under which the promotion could consider evacuating the venue.

UFC official reveals condition that could force evacuation at Freedom 250 event 

Though the UFC Freedom 250 press conference survived the rain and thunderstorms, the actual event still faces the risk of being hit by a storm. In that case, the promotion has already taken preventive measures. However, UFC Chief Content Officer Craig Borsari explained that if there is thunder, lightning within eight miles of the Octagon, or rain coming in sideways, they may need to evacuate the venue. Only in the case of light rain would the spectacle still continue.

“So we’ve had multiple conference calls about contingency planning, and where everything is doom and gloom,” Borsari said. “We’ve thrown up every single scenario you can imagine – thunder, lightning, rain coming in sideways, even what sort of winds would be required for us to evacuate.

“If there was light to moderate rain, I’d say we will try to forge ahead and complete the event, so long as the spectators and athletes are safe. But lightning is a fairly simple one — if there’s a lightning strike within eight miles of the Octagon, we need to evacuate the South Lawn.”

With the press conference already underway, there is no sign of rain for now. However, everyone will be hoping the weather remains unchanged and does not kill the excitement surrounding the actual showdown on June 14.