Pentagon seeks troops to fill seats at Trump's White House UFC fight... but there's a humiliating catch

By ROSS IBBETSON, ASSOCIATE EDITOR Published: 21:06, 29 May 2026 | Updated: 21:24, 29 May 2026 The Pentagon is summoning troops to fill seats at Donald Trump's UFC cage-fighting spectacle at the White House, but only those who can pass a waistline test will make the cut.  Pete Hegseth's Defense Department has invited troops from every branch to the June 14 extravaganza marking America's 250th anniversary, a date that also happens to be Trump's 80th birthday.  The memos sent out specifically request junior enlisted troops and junior officers, and also stipulate that the personnel will need to pay for their own travel to Washington. Troops 'MUST MEET CURRENT WAIST-HEIGHT RATIO and current physical fitness standard,' according to an Air Force memo obtained by the Washington Post.  The personnel are told to wear their short-sleeve dress uniforms. The Pentagon declined to comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The current Pentagon waist-to-height ratio standard is less than 0.55, measured by dividing the waist circumference by height. For example, a 6ft service member would be ineligible if they have a waist larger than 39.6 inches, and a 5'8' soldier would be ineligible if they have a waist larger than 37.4 inches.  Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, May 27 Cranes work on the construction of a structure on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 29 Trump's planned slate of cage fights, dubbed UFC Freedom 250, began taking shape last week as huge cranes appeared on the South Lawn, hoisting a colossal stars-and-stripes arch in front of the iconic South Portico.  The President's decision to host the first ever professional live sporting event at the White House has divided Americans and the fighters themselves. Bantamweight Sean O'Malley, who is on the card, called it a 'once in a lifetime opportunity,' while fellow fighter Brandon Royval branded it 'Hunger Games nonsense.'  Trump earlier this month shared official renderings of the venue, which will feature a 5,000-seater arena situated on the South Lawn. Trump claimed the entire country is invited to the 'free' event, with an estimated 100,000 people expected to watch on a big screen at The Ellipse, the 52-acre park just south of the White House fence.  'I think it's gonna be the biggest event we've ever had at the White House,' Trump said. 'The White House doesn't really do athletic events for the most part, and these are all the greatest champions in the world. They're the greatest fighters in the world, you can tell by looking at them.' Trump was joined inside the Oval Office by the UFC stars who are set to headline the event when he first showed off the renderings of the temporary arena. Trump shows a rendering of the upcoming 'UFC Freedom 250' event as he speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on May 6 Trump poses for a photo in the Oval Office alongside UFC Freedom 250 fighters Ilia Topuria, Alex Pereira, Justin Gaethje, and Ciryl Gane at the White House on May 6 The card will be headlined by a lightweight title bout between reigning champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje, while Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane will go head-to-head in a fight for the UFC heavyweight title in the co-main event. Despite the excitement surrounding the event, there has also been some concern among fans given that the entire card will take place outside. UFC boss Dana White admitted organizers are bracing for a potential gnat invasion. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.