FBI headquarters welcomes UFC fighters for training sessions ahead of historic White House MMA event
The FBI has undergone a UFC-style makeover as Washington prepares to host one of the most unique sporting events ever held on White House grounds.
In a video released Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau is partnering with the UFC and nearly 300 federal agents are undergoing hand-to-hand combat training ahead of UFC Freedom 250.
“Through our amazing partnership with @ufc, we’ve seen nearly 300 agents come in and learn great tactics to protect American lives,” Patel wrote to X while sharing footage from the training sessions.
FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL WANTS RELATIONSHIP WITH UFC: REPORT
Justin Gaethje watches during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
FBI Director Kash Patel credited the agency with facilitating foreign surveillance transfers for two high-profile targets, one from Iraq and the other from Colombia. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
The FBI’s Rapid Response team seems equally enthusiastic about the partnership, sharing video of their training sessions and noting: “The world’s best fighters meet the world’s best cops!”
It was also the kind of cooperation that would only have been possible if the FBI director had put UFC chief Dana White on speed dial.
UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje also appeared in the footage. Earlier this year, Gaethje helped train FBI agents and academy staff at the bureau’s Special Agent Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
More recently, footage released Wednesday showed Gaethje using FBI Headquarters as part of his preparation for his lightweight title fight against Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250.
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President Donald Trump met with UFC fighters Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje and Ciryl Gane in the White House Oval Office on May 6, 2026, to discuss the UFC Freedom 250 bout scheduled for June 14 outside the White House. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The fighters were expected to use the Eisenhower Executive Office Building as a locker room before marching to “The Claw,” the massive Octagonal structure being built on the South Lawn.
Adding to the festivities, adrenaline junkie Travis Pastrana is preparing for a surprise appearance to open the main card broadcast. A video White shared on Tuesday showed that this stunt could involve flipping the dirt bike backwards on the South Lawns.
Federal agents training with UFC fighters, a title challenger working out of FBI headquarters, and a UFC event on White House grounds might have sounded like satire just a few years ago.
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