Everything to know about the UFC White House centerpiece: the claw
Key takeaways
- The cranes, holding a steel structure as tall as the White House, blocked part of the Ward family's view of the president's home.
- Its steel framework is filled with large beam lights -- the lighting grid also has some aluminum components -- and is covered by a 100-by-100 foot canopy over the top.
- Its journey to the White House spanned an ocean, multiple forms of transportation and months of planning to pull off what the UFC hopes will be a centerpiece of its Freedom 250 event on June 14.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
A 600-ton, 154-foot wide, four-pronged outdoor arena dubbed 'the claw' will house UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14. Carolyn Van Houten for ESPNMichael Rothstein Jun 4, 2026, 08:13 AM ETClose Michael Rothstein, based in Atlanta, is a reporter on ESPN's investigative and enterprise team. You can follow him via Twitter @Mike Rothstein.Follow on XMultiple Authors Email Print Open Extended Reactions WASHINGTON -- The annual Memorial Day parade ambled down Constitution Avenue as Michael Ward and his family, visiting from Ohio, stopped in front of The Ellipse and peered through black fencing at three large cranes in the distance.
The cranes, holding a steel structure as tall as the White House, blocked part of the Ward family's view of the president's home. "You see that scaffolding there?" Ward asked his son. "That's for Dana White and his big event with the Octagon."
Ward and his family witnessed what so many did as they walked by the most famous house in the United States on May 25 -- a tall, arched "leg" that represents the beginning of a process to construct the 92-foot-high structure known as "the claw" on the South Lawn of the White House.