{"id":1083,"date":"2026-06-05T21:39:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T21:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1083"},"modified":"2026-06-05T21:39:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T21:39:54","slug":"why-troops-who-dont-meet-fitness-standards-wont-be-found-at-upcoming-white-house-ufc-bouts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1083","title":{"rendered":"Why troops who don\u2019t meet fitness standards won\u2019t be found at upcoming White House UFC bouts"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>KEY POINTS<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>Troops attending the June 14 UFC event at the White House will be prescreened for fitness standards.<\/li>\n<li>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made fitness in the ranks a key agency priority.<\/li>\n<li>The mixed martial arts fight card will be a South Lawn first.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Sports fans tuning in on June 14 to watch \u201cUFC Freedom 250\u201d will witness something never before seen: A mixed martial arts event on the South Lawn of the White House featuring title bouts embedded in plenty of red, white and blue pageantry.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1081\">How many college athletes think they\u2019ll become pros?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>And it will all be happening under a massive 92-foot-high overhead lighting structure dubbed \u201cThe Claw.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The White House\u2019s chief resident, President Donald Trump, has likened \u201cThe Claw\u201d to the Eiffel Tower, adding \u201cmaybe we\u2019ll never, ever take it down.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<section> @realdonaldtrump <\/p>\n<p>MAYBE WE\u2019LL NEVER EVER TAKE IT DOWN <\/p>\n<p> \u266c original sound &#8211; President Donald J Trump <\/section>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>But here\u2019s something that won\u2019t be seen at UFC Freedom 250: chubby military troops.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration is reserving 1,200 tickets to the Flag Day event for active-duty troops. But like the MMA fighters competing in the caged octagon, the service members selected to attend the fights must meet specific physical standards.<\/p>\n<p>As reported by Military Times, a Pentagon document called on commanders to find volunteers to attend the June 14 matches being staged to celebrate the nation\u2019s 250th anniversary. That date is also Trump\u2019s 80th birthday.<\/p>\n<p>The Defense Department, according to an internal document reviewed and authenticated by Military Times, described UFC Freedom 250 as a \u201chigh visibility\u201d event and issued requirements for military personnel selected to attend.<\/p>\n<p>Service members, stated the document, must meet a waist-to-height ratio of 0.55 or less. Troops must also meet their service-specific physical fitness standards to attend the fights. <\/p>\n<p>The document added that troops selected to attend the UFC matches on the South Lawn should be \u201cgenuine UFC fans\u201d \u2014 and commands were encouraged to select junior enlisted personnel and junior officers.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the Pentagon asked the commands to select service members outside the Washington, D.C., region. However, service members are required to cover their travel costs to the event, according to Military Times.<\/p>\n<h3>Boosted fitness across the ranks<\/h3>\n<p>The Pentagon\u2019s directive regarding body composition expectations for troops attending UFC Freedom 250 signals the increased emphasis of physical fitness across the military ranks over the past year.<\/p>\n<p>To quote Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, American troops \u201cwill be \u201cfit \u2014 not fat. Our troops will look sharp \u2014 not sloppy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> implemented the use of a waist-to-height ratio to evaluate body composition of troops of all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHeight and weight tables will no longer be utilized to evaluate body composition,\u201d noted a memo signed by Undersecretary of Defense for personnel and readiness Anthony Tata.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1079\">Veteran character actor James Handy, known for \u2018Top Gun: Maverick\u2019 and \u2018Jumanji,\u2019 killed; suspect charged<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBody composition evaluation will align with medically validated, streamlined approaches, using (waist-to-height) to promote consistency and fairness across the Joint Force.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Body composition, added the memo, is a vital component for the \u201cwarrior ethos and foundational to lethality and readiness.\u201d The upper waist-to-height ratio limit for military service body composition policies \u201cshall be less than 0.55.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Every U.S. service member will have their body composition evaluated twice each year. Troops with a waist-to-height ratio of 0.55 or above \u2014 while also exceeding body fat standards \u2014 are being placed in a remedial program and referred to medical authorities.<\/p>\n<p>The maximum body fat standards for men and women are 26% and 36%, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFailure to meet established standards may result in the withholding of favorable personnel actions, including promotions,\u201d the memo warned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cContinued failure or those not demonstrating adequate progress will be subject to administrative measures to include processing for administrative separation.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>History of sports at the White House<\/h3>\n<p>Davis Ingle, a White House spokesman, told Military Times last week that the UFC Freedom 250 \u201cwill be one of the greatest and most historic sports events in history, and President Trump hosting it at the White House is a testament to his vision to celebrate America\u2019s monumental 250th anniversary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The seven- fight card on the South Lawn features a lightweight title bout between American Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria of Georgia \u2014 and a heavyweight interim title bout between Alex Pereira of Brazil and France\u2019s Ciryl Gane. <\/p>\n<p>But while the MMA event will be a South Lawn first, athletics and the White House already enjoy a shared history.<\/p>\n<p>President Teddy Roosevelt built a tennis court in 1903 near what\u2019s now called the West Wing. Some four decades later, a two-lane bowling alley was built in the West Wing basement. It was later repurposed, but bowling made a White House comeback in 1969 when avid kegler Richard Nixon installed a one-lane bowling alley.<\/p>\n<p>The South Lawn has also hosted ice skating. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter built a temporary rink and Olympic gold medalist Peggy Fleming performed during holiday parties for the Secret Service, military aides and other staffers, according to USA Today.<\/p>\n<p>And President George W. Bush, a former part-owner of baseball\u2019s Texas Rangers, initiated \u201cLittle League Tee Ball on the South Lawn\u201d, which ran from 2001 to 2008. <\/p>\n<p>The South Lawn tee ball field included a pitcher\u2019s mound, dugout and bleachers and a menu with ballpark favorites such as hot dogs and hamburgers.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1077\">A new look and new names to fill in as Utah\u2019s largest farmers market returns<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump: Event\u2019s massive overhead lighting structure \u2014 aka \u2018The Claw\u2019 \u2014 may never come down<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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