Celebs, Billionaires, NFL Stars and the Pope's Brother: The Surprising Guests at the White House UFC Fights on Trump's Birthday

Joseph KonigMon, June 15, 2026 at 6:26 PM UTC

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President Donald Trump smiles as he sits next to first lady Melania Trump and UFC CEO Dana White while posing for a photo with other guests during UFC Freedom 250 at the White House on Sunday, June 14.Credit: Evan Vucci - Pool/Getty

President Donald Trump and thousands of spectators gathered at the White House on Sunday, June 14 — his 80th birthday and the day the U.S. Army celebrates its founding — for a mixed martial arts event unlike any other in history.

Some of the UFC's top fighters battered each other bloody in the specially built arena dubbed "The Claw" in front of the president, first lady Melania Trump, scores of top administration officials, U.S. troops, members of Congress and assorted celebrities, tycoons, athletes, allies and special guests — including the brother of a pope.

Here's a look at some of the most notable and surprising guests at Sunday's UFC Freedom 250 event:

01 of 18

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Founder and Meta CEO

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks with President Donald Trump alongside first lady Melania Trump on June 14, 2026Credit: Kent NISHIMURA/AFP via Getty

Facebook founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg attended the fight and was seen chatting with Trump. At the fight, UFC president and Trump ally Dana White announced that Meta would be donating pairs of Ray-Ban Meta glasses to every blind veteran in the country.

Though viral social media posts suggested Zuckerberg was in attendance with his father, it was actually U.S. Army veteran Don Overton, the executive director of the Blinded Veterans Association who lost his eyesight during Operation Desert Storm.

02 of 18

Louis Prevost, Brother of Pope Leo XIV

Louis Prevost, brother of Pope Leo XIV, and JD Vance attend the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn at the White House on June 14.Credit: The White House/X

Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope in the history of the Catholic Church, may have sparred with Trump and his administration over their foreign conflicts and immigration policies, but his MAGA brother Louis Prevost remains a fan of the president.

The White House posted a photo on X of Louis with Vice President JD Vance at the fight on Sunday.

Related: JD Vance Heckled as He Says Pope Leo Should 'Be Careful' Talking About 'Matters of Theology' at Turning Point Event

03 of 18

Shane Gillis, Comedian

Comedian and actor Shane Gillis looks on from ringside during UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty

Shane Gillis, a popular comic who was once fired from Saturday Night Live before ever appearing on the show, was in attendance on Sunday night.

After the fight, Gillis told TMZthat he didn't "love" fighter Josh Hokit's offensive comment about former first lady Michelle Obama, saying "I don't like that s---."

04 of 18

Jack Osbourne, Son of Sharon and Ozzy

Jack Osbourne and wife Aree attend the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 14.Credit: Jack Osbourne/Instagram

Jack Osbourne, the youngest son of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, posted a selfie of himself at the fights with wife Aree Gearheart, who gave birth to their fifth child in March.

White House communications director Steven Cheung can be seen photobombing the couple.

05 of 18

David Ellison, Paramount Skydance CEO

David Ellison, chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance, listens to President Donald Trump at an investment summit in Miami Beach, Fla., on March 27,Credit: Mandel NGAN/AFP via Getty

Fresh off securing Justice Department approval last week for his mega-media conglomerate Paramount Skydance to take over Warner Bros. Discovery in a $111 billion merger, Trump ally David Ellison was rubbing shoulders at the White House on Sunday, according to The New York Times.

06 of 18

Nate Bargatze, Comedian

Nate Bargatze, Cheryl Hines, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr attend the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn at the White House on June 14.Credit: Cheryl Hines/Instagram

Comedian Nate Bargatze was at the fight and spotted taking photos with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Curb Your Enthusiasm actress Cheryl Hines.

07 of 18

Cheryl Hines, Actress and Wife of RFK Jr.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends UFC Freedom 250 with his wife and actress Cheryl Hines.Credit: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Actress Cheryl Hines was at the White House fights, sitting ringside with her husband, RFK Jr. Before the fight, she posted a photo to Instagram of the portrait of RFK Jr.'s uncle, President John F. Kennedy, hanging in the White House.

08 of 18

James Dolan, Owner of New York Knicks

President Donald Trump with his granddaughter Kai Trump, second from the left, and Knicks owner James Dolan, second right, attend game three of the NBA Finals on June 8, 2026.Credit: SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty

A week after Trump was at Madison Square Garden in New York for NBA Finals Game 3 between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, Knicks owner James Dolan was at the White House for the fights, according to the Times.

The Knicks closed the series out in San Antonio on Saturday, June 13, to secure their first NBA championship since 1973.

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09 of 18

Robert Kraft, Owner of New England Patriots

Robert Kraft attends the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks during Game Three of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 8Credit: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, a longtime friend of the president, was at the fights on Sunday, according to the Times.

Last week, Kraft attended the same NBA Finals game in New York between the Knicks and the Spurs that Trump also attended.

10 of 18

Michael Irvin, NFL Hall of Famer

Beth Van Duyne and Michael Irvin attend the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 14.Credit: Beth Van Duyne/Instagram

NFL Hall of Famer and Dallas Cowboys great Michael Irvin was at the fights. He was spotted taking a selfie with Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas.

11 of 18

More NFL Players

J.P. Hovey, Will Compton, Taylor Lewan, Maxx Crosby, and Brogan Roback at the White House on June 14 ahead of the UFC Freedom 250 fights.Credit: The Rush/Instagram

Other current and former NFL players showed up for the fights, including current Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, current Los Angeles Chargers tight end David Njoku, retired linebacker Taylor Lewan, retired offensive tackle Will Compton, and retired quarterback Brogan Roback.

Taylor Lewan, David Njoku and Will Compton at the White House before the UFC Freedom 250 event on June 14.Credit: Bussin' With The Boys/Instagram

12 of 18

Todd Golden, UF Men's Basketball Head Coach

Todd Golden, head coach of the University of Florida men's basketball team, left, and President Donald Trump pose for a photo.Credit: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

Todd Golden, the head coach of the 2025 NCAA men's basketball championship-winning University of Florida team, was at the fight and stopped to take a picture with the president.

13 of 18

Tyson Fury, Professional Boxer

UFC President and CEO Dana White, Tyson Fury, Mark Zuckerberg and President Donald Trump, from left to right.Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty

British boxer Tyson Fury, the former world heavyweight champion, was hanging out with the president, Zuckerberg and White ringside at the fights on Sunday.

14 of 18

Sharron Simmons, the 'DoorDash Grandma'

President Donald Trump tips Sharon Simmons after receiving a DoorDash delivery of McDonald's during an event outside the Oval Office of the White House on April 13.Credit: Win McNamee/Getty

"DoorDash Grandma" Sharon Simmons, who delivered McDonald's to the president outside the Oval Office in April, was back at the White House on Sunday night, according to CNN, who spotted her walking in.

Trump invited Simmons and her husband back in April, though it was unclear if her husband attended.

15 of 18

Karoline Leavitt

Karoline Leavitt with her husband, Nicholas Riccio, ahead of the UFC Fights on June 14Credit: Karoline Leavitt/Instagram

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who has been on maternity leave since late April, was back at the office for the fights on Sunday, according to her Instagram.

She gave birth to her second child, daughter Vivian, on May 1.

16 of 18

Ari Emanuel, Executive Chairman of UFC's Parent Company

Executive chairman of TKO Ari Emanuel, right, at the White House's UFC Freedom 250 event on June 14.Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty

Hollywood mega-mogul Ari Emanuel, the inspiration for Entourage's Ari Gold and the executive chairman of UFC parent company TKO Group Holdings, was at the fights.

Emanuel's brother, Rahm — the former Chicago mayor and chief of staff to President Barack Obama — is considering a run for president as a Democrat in 2028.

17 of 18

Karol Nawrocki, President of Poland

Poland's President Karol Nawrocki arrives at the White House ahead of the UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn, Sunday, June 14.Credit: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Polish President Karol Nawrocki, an international ally of Trump and his MAGA movement, was there on Sunday night, spotted by photographers.

18 of 18

The Trump Family

President Donald J. Trump and family pose for a photo in the Octagon at the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 14.Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty

All of Trump's children and their spouses, many of his grandchildren, and some of his in-laws were at the fight on Sunday night, including Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump Jr. and his new wife Bettina Anderson, Eric and Lara Trump, Tiffany Trump and Michael Boulos, and — making a rare White House appearance — his youngest son, 20-year-old Barron Trump.

Barron Trump attends the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 14.Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty

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