The historic UFC Freedom 250 card on the White House South Lawn delivered some all-time great fights, but it also sparked a major cultural and political feud. Larry David, the creator of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, made headlines when he told Variety that watching a steel cage bout on the executive mansion’s grass left him completely disgusted.

“It was a… it was a travesty,” he said. “What else can you say about it? It was embarrassing. I was embarrassed to be an American.”

However, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman caught wind of the Hollywood legend’s dramatic outrage and decided to respond with a great 1980s movie reference. Fetterman told TMZ that the famed comedian has to step back and quit taking a sporting event so seriously, while dropping the famous line delivered by Sergeant Hulka to a high-strung recruit in the Bill Murray classic Stripes.

“I’d say, ‘Lighten up, Francis,'” Fetterman said, channeling his inner Sergeant Hulka. “You know, really kind of get over himself. You know, like, hey, I’m proud to be American. And if you are embarrassed or whatever because of a UFC thing, get over yourself, dude.

“You know, like, seriously, like, get over yourself, dude.”

It is worth noting that Larry David wasn’t alone in his fury, as the outdoor spectacle also enraged many more who stand on the opposite spectrum of Donald Trump‘s political side. Just days before UFC Freedom 250, two Virginia residents filed a lawsuit against the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior for an emergency injunction.

The lawsuit called the event “deeply corrupt,” but the Trump administration lawyers successfully shut it down by claiming that pulling the plug would cost the federal government over $60 million in financial losses and waste tens of thousands of labor hours.

The administration also noted that the South Lawn has hosted several sporting and entertainment events throughout history, citing Joe Biden‘s Elton John concert in 2022 and Andrew Johnson’s authorization of a baseball game on the grass in 1865.

Also, the fact that a US senator is actively defending the UFC will be refreshing for many fight fans, and it surely illustrates how dramatically the sport’s public image has changed over the years.

The Dana White-led UFC is no longer viewed as just ‘Human Cockfighting’

Back in the late 1990s, the promotion was an underground, lawless spectacle with no weight divisions and few rules. So it was no surprise that there was some public outcry. However, the backlash got so intense that Arizona Senator John McCain famously led a campaign to outright prohibit the sport, dubbing it “human cockfighting,” and nearly drove the organization into bankruptcy.

However, everything changed in 2001, when Dana White and the Fertitta brothers bought the promotion, enforced tight safety regulations, and worked directly with state athletic commissions. Now, decades later, the sport has evolved from a political outcast to a mainstream force capable of throwing a large, highly lucrative party on government property.

The numbers from the night totally back up the gamble. While official viewership data has not been released yet, Sports Business Journal claims that Paramount+ app downloads increased by 276% compared to their previous 30-day average, with daily active users jumping 34% on the day of the card.

The success was further confirmed by Dana White in the post-fight press conference as he revealed that corporate executives were literally celebrating the digital surge behind the scenes.

“I just got off the phone with David Ellison; he’s going crazy,” White told reporters, referencing the Paramount chief. “I’ll let Paramount make their own announcement, but it was monstrous tonight. You don’t get calls from billionaires flipping out too often. He is extremely excited.”

Whether Hollywood purists like Larry David like it or not, the historic White House card proved that mixed martial arts has officially established its position in mainstream American society. The sport has grown far beyond its underground origins, and as the high streaming numbers show, the demand for these spectacular events isn’t going away anytime soon.