WASHINGTON (AP) — Hockey star Matthew Tkachuk was ready to see some carnage at the White House.
“It’s going to be the under in every single fight,” he told the crowd on the Ellipse on Sunday night. “I think it’s not going to last like halfway through. They’re all going to be knockouts or finishes early.”
Tkachuk and his brother Brady — no strangers to occasional pugilism on the ice — were part of pre-fight festivities for UFC Freedom 250, the mixed martial arts event on the South Lawn of the White House on President Donald Trump's 80th birthday. While the crowd around the Octagon was full of VIPs, the Ellipse — an expansive lawn between the White House and Washington Monument — hosted a viewing party for the more common fan.
The Tkachuks appeared on stage and answered a few questions about their interest in UFC. Logan Paul was also among those who showed up to entertain the crowd, and at one point UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland arrived, causing a rush of fans in his direction. Strickland was escorted out by a group of police officers.
U.S. Park Police said Strickland’s presence resulted in disorder. He wasn’t cited or arrested, but was taken to his hotel and told not to come back to the venue.
“It’s going to be the under in every single fight,” he told the crowd on the Ellipse on Sunday night. “I think it’s not going to last like halfway through. They’re all going to be knockouts or finishes early.”
Tkachuk and his brother Brady — no strangers to occasional pugilism on the ice — were part of pre-fight festivities for UFC Freedom 250, the mixed martial arts event on the South Lawn of the White House on President Donald Trump's 80th birthday. While the crowd around the Octagon was full of VIPs, the Ellipse — an expansive lawn between the White House and Washington Monument — hosted a viewing party for the more common fan.
The Tkachuks appeared on stage and answered a few questions about their interest in UFC. Logan Paul was also among those who showed up to entertain the crowd, and at one point UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland arrived, causing a rush of fans in his direction. Strickland was escorted out by a group of police officers.
U.S. Park Police said Strickland’s presence resulted in disorder. He wasn’t cited or arrested, but was taken to his hotel and told not to come back to the venue.
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