USA29 May, 20262 min read
Pentagon Lists US Service Members For Trump’s White House UFC Fight, Only If They Meet Standards
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Pentagon recruiting hundreds of troops to attend White House UFC event. Attendees must meet height/weight standards, including waist-to-height ratio.
Weight rules for tickets
Senior Pentagon leaders are putting together lists of uniformed US service members to attend President Donald Trump’s UFC fight at the White House next month, but CNN reports tickets will only be given to those who meet military body composition standards. CNN quotes a memo sent to service members saying, "Ticket recipients are required to meet the DOW waist-to-height ratio standard of less than 0.55," and it adds that recipients must also meet service-specific physical fitness test requirements.
The guidance memos reviewed by CNN direct commanders to distribute tickets to "genuine UFC fans" and to focus on selecting junior enlisted and junior officers. CNN also reports that while the tickets are free, service members will be required to pay their own way, and the Pentagon declined to comment on the guidance about the UFC event.
Pentagon optics and quotes
CNN says the selection requirements for Trump’s made-for-TV UFC event send a message to soldiers interested in attending, quoting a defense official as saying, "No fattys." CNN also reports that another defense official familiar with the approval process said senior Pentagon leaders signaled a preference that DoD attendees "look good" on camera during the event.
The Washington Post similarly describes the Pentagon as moving to recruit hundreds of troops to appear as spectators at President Donald Trump’s UFC cage-fighting event at the White House, and it says internal memos reviewed by the paper require those who attend to pay for their travel. USA TODAY adds that the Pentagon is selecting U.S. soldiers to make an appearance in uniform at an Ultimate Fighting Championship match at the White House within weeks, with service members required to meet a waist-to-height ratio and pay their own way to Washington, DC.
Event details and stakes
The UFC fight is scheduled for June 14 on the White House lawn, and USA TODAY reports that hundreds of service members received official requests in recent days from the Pentagon to attend. USA TODAY says a total of 300 tickets were available for Army members, including 100 for the Army National Guard, and it reports that around 1,200 of the match's 4,300 attendees will be active-duty military members.
Forbes reports that at least 1,200 of the approximately 4,300 seats on the White House lawn will go to active military members and that selected military members must pay their own way to Washington, D.C. CNN frames the policy as part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s physical fitness focus, quoting him as saying, "There will be no “fat troops” or “fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon,"" and it reports the Pentagon declined to comment on the UFC guidance.