When you're conducting research, you stumble across more than what you were looking for. Stories along the way, some good, some bad, most of them insignificant. Only when Trump's name appears does almost everything drift into the absurd - reliably, almost by law. This is one of those stories. While the first elements of an octagonal fighting arena are already being assembled on the South Lawn of the White House, preparations are underway behind the scenes for one of the most unusual political spectacles in recent American history. Donald Trump is planning a UFC event on the grounds of the White House next month. But apparently not every soldier who wants to be there will actually be allowed to attend.
Internal Pentagon documents show that strict selection criteria are planned for the event. Soldiers who meet specific physical requirements are being sought. One of the documents explicitly requires participants to comply with the currently mandated ratio between height and waist circumference. In addition, short-sleeved uniforms are to be worn.
Pete Hegseth trained with soldiers. A transparent maneuver to buy the respect of the troops after the wave of dismissals among the generals. But respect cannot be trained into existence. Soldiers, especially combat troops, do not respect the man who occasionally sweats with them and then poses for photographs. They respect the man who lies in the dirt with them, in the trench, who chews the same rations, endures the same hardship, carries the same risk. Respect is earned in the field, not in the gym. It is not measured by a UFC body index, but by shared danger.
The event is currently scheduled for June 14, 2026. On that day, Donald Trump will turn 80 years old. For the first time, the White House is set to serve as the backdrop for a UFC fight night, for which a large octagonal arena is currently being erected on the South Lawn. According to the documents, the selection is further limited to younger officers of lower ranks. Older military personnel apparently play no role in the planning. Anyone who is too heavy, fails to meet the required standards, or does not fit the desired appearance is unlikely to have much chance of securing a place at the event.
There are documents that no longer require satire - they are sufficient unto themselves. This is one of them. The U.S. Air Force is looking for volunteers, 135 of them. The occasion: a UFC spectacle on the South Lawn of the White House, scheduled for June 14, 2026 - the day on which Donald Trump just so happens to celebrate his birthday. The soldiers may travel there and watch other people beat each other up inside a cage. A privilege that, as it turns out, comes with conditions. The first one, underlined in the original for emphasis, is also the most revealing: anyone who wants a ticket must demonstrate a waist-to-height ratio below 0.55 and pass all fitness tests. In plain English: you must be slim enough to be allowed to watch. It is not the fighters in the ring who are being measured, but the audience standing on the lawn. Body fat as an admission ticket.
Further down the list of requirements. Enlisted personnel and younger officers are preferred, explicitly not just the high-ranking brass - a rare touch of democracy that is immediately qualified. Because what exactly awaits the chosen ones? Standing-room only. Outdoors. Without shade. For hours in the June sun, wearing the short-sleeved Bravo uniform, complete with "appropriate military equipment and headgear." Family members are not welcome, and the ticket is non-transferable.
And then the final point, mentioned twice as if there were concern about misunderstandings: travel expenses will not be reimbursed. The highly trained troops from outside the capital may therefore travel at their own expense in order to stand at attention in the blazing sun and applaud a fistfight. Which leaves the question the document does not answer: is this an invitation or a punishment assignment?
In this way, the event continues a development that has shaped the Department of Defense since Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took office. For months, Hegseth has made it clear that he wants physical fitness to become a central benchmark within the armed forces. As early as last October, he spoke unusually bluntly about the condition of certain military units.
"Frankly, you get tired of looking at combat units, or really any formation, and seeing fat soldiers," Hegseth said at the time. Equally unacceptable, he continued, was seeing overweight generals or admirals walking the halls of the Pentagon. His vision extends beyond weight and fitness. Hegseth has repeatedly spoken out against certain hairstyles and beards as well. In his view, individual forms of self-expression should once again be pushed back within the military. "No more beards, no more long hair, no superficial individual self-expression. We're going to cut our hair, shave our beards, and meet the standards," he declared.
Against this backdrop, it comes as little surprise that the organizers of the UFC event apparently place particular emphasis on the outward appearance of the soldiers in attendance. The event is intended not only as a sporting spectacle, but also as a public display of military discipline and physical readiness.
It remains unclear how many soldiers will actually meet the requirements and how many places will ultimately be available. It is equally uncertain whether these unusual standards will be welcomed within the ranks or spark new debate.
And as if all of that were not enough, Derrick Lewis is expected to fight - the very fighter whom UFC President Dana White now describes as Donald Trump's declared favorite. According to White, Trump personally wanted to know why Lewis had not yet been placed on the card. So while the Pentagon selects soldiers based on waist circumference, height, and outward appearance, the president's favorite fighter will be stepping into the Octagon. For an 80th birthday celebration at the White House, the production would appear to be nearly complete.
Donald Trump himself remains convinced that interest in the event will be enormous. According to him, he has never seen people want anything as badly as they want tickets for this evening. As the arena on the grounds of the White House continues to take shape, attention is also growing around an event that brings together politics, entertainment, and the military in a way Washington has rarely, if ever, seen before.
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Vielleicht interessiert das tatsächlich 5 Leute mehr, als Melanias „großartiger“ Film 🙈 urghhh…