The Defense Department has told the military branches that troops seeking tickets to next month’s White House UFC event must meet a waist-to-height ratio below 0.55 and satisfy each service’s physical fitness test requirements. The memo adds another layer to an already limited ticket pool for the June 14 fight on the White House South Lawn.
That date lands on Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, and he has already said the event will leave some people disappointed. “I’m going to make a lot of enemies because it’s impossible to get everyone tickets,” he told News earlier this month, a blunt admission that demand will outrun supply.
The new memo, issued this week, covers uniformed troops from commands around the world who want to attend one of the White House’s highest-profile summer events. It also says the Pentagon will not pay travel costs, meaning any service member who gets a ticket still has to get to Washington on their own dime.
The fitness requirement is the sharpest break from how these invitations are usually handled. Tickets are supposed to go to genuine UFC fans through a fair process, but the event is also being shaped by Trump’s handpicking of most of the 4,000-plus spectators. The memo says tickets must be distributed through a fair and transparent selection process, yet it does not explain which commands or individual troops are most likely to make the cut.
Attendance will not look like a typical night out, either. The fight is being described as a high-visibility event on the South Lawn, outdoors and uncovered, with standing-room-only conditions and a short-sleeve uniform, military regalia and headgear required. For troops hoping to go, that means the gate is not just about enthusiasm for UFC events. It now runs through fitness standards, service rules and a selection process that still leaves the final list of attendees unresolved.
