WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday with a brutal display of political machismo, turning the White House lawn into an arena for a bloody evening of cage fights.

In unprecedented scenes in the revered seat of American democracy, Trump sat with thousands of cheering fans as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) combatants beat each other to a pulp.

Fighters for the evening’s top-billed bout emerged from the Oval Office, where just hours earlier Trump had sealed a long-awaited peace deal with Iran, to walk out to the cage.

US fighter Justin Gaethje stunned Spanish-Georgian Ilia Topuria to take the lightweight championship in the main event. Gaethje was declared the winner after Topuria’s face was so badly beaten that he could not continue.

Afterwards, Trump and First Lady Melania entered the blood-spattered “Octagon” cage to congratulate a jubilant Gaethje, who wished the president a happy birthday.

“Beyond anything you could imagine,” Trump, who is due to head straight to the G7 summit in France, told reporters when asked how the evening went.

“The UFC at the White House last night was incredible... The White House has never looked more beautiful. The setting was unsurpassed!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday morning, praising the fighters and congratulating UFC boss Dana White.

“The weather was scheduled to be horrendous, and it turned out to be PERFECT! So much for weather predicting.”

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2026