One by one, the burly mixed martial arts fighters made their entrance past the solemn, hulking marble statue of America's 16th president and jogged down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to roars from thousands of fans drawn to the unusual sporting weekend marking the nation's 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump's 80th birthday.The news conference Friday night featured the fighters who are preparing to face off Sunday in the Octagon built outside the White House. But it was also a chance to see the UFC fans who have thronged to Washington and endured lightning, humidity and bugs for the spectacle.Tracy Philbeck and his son Levi drove from Charlotte, North Carolina, with a group of friends to support their favorite fighter, American Justin Gaethje, in the upcoming lightweight title bout against Georgian Ilia Topuria."You will hear an eagle screaming when Justin Gaethje wins, the elder Philbeck chuckled.David Halstead journeyed from Albany, in Western Australia, to watch the sport he has loved for a decade. Halstead said Trump, who regularly attends the fights, put UFC on the map."The UFC has said it spent $60 million on this weekend's festivities, and Republican president has billed it as the greatest show on earth. Not everyone agrees.The Public Integrity Project described the event as a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain in a lawsuit the watchdog group filed to try to stop it from happening on federal land. A federal judge ruled on Friday that the White House was allowed to go ahead.Only about 1 in 10 U.S. adults consider themselves mixed martial arts fans, according to Ipsos Sports polling conducted in February and March. That polling suggests MMA fans skew male and nonwhite. They are more likely to identify as Republicans than Democrats. One misconception is that everyone who watches UFC is a Trump supporter, but thats not the case," said Ricardo Rodriguez, 24, explaining he loves the physicality of the sport. People also expect a knock out every time," he said.Ellie Louizes, who practices Muay Thai, or Thai kickboxing, and jujitsu martial arts, drove from Daytona Beach, Florida, with her boyfriend, Jacob Purvis.Female fans of MMA are the minority. But Louizes said she knows a lot of women who get into watching the sport through their male partners. She said female fighters are often way more aggressive than the men.Fans brushed off the criticism about White House as hostThe fans at the Lincoln Memorial brushed off criticism about the bouts being held at the White House. Holding fights at the People's House, Tracy Philbeck said, "goes back to the days of Teddy Roosevelt.Roosevelt regularly held sparring sessions at the White House, though they were not formal public prizefights. He was an enthusiastic amateur boxer who had boxed at Harvard and continued the sport throughout much of his life.Boxing fans also make up a large part of the UFC's fan base. At a UFC-sponsored community event this week at the District of Columbia's Midtown Youth Academy, the boxing gym's executive director was helping out with a visit from UFC fighter Randy Brown, who sparred with more than dozen local teenagers and preteens.Gloria Lee said meeting the fighter was a big deal for kids at her gym. It's just been a thrilling week, and I was about to fall out when he came in the door! she said.Asked about her personal UFC fandom, Lee said she had not watched it much. But by the end of Brown's visit, she got into the ring with the professional fighter and threw some slugs of her own. __Associated Press writer Linley Sanders contributed to this report.

West Ham shareholders Daniel Kretinsky and Vanessa Gold have spoken out about allegations against David Sullivan, as the Irons agree on a new ownership deal.Kretinsky and Gold said they were "deeply concerned" about the accusations directed at Sullivan.The 77-year-old strongly refuted the claims, describing them as "false allegations" which he would take legal action over, following the BBC and The Times reporting accounts of seven women alleging Sullivan engaged in sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour.In a lengthy statement, Sullivan described the claims as "factually incorrect and entirely false". He stated he had "not been provided with any proper explanation as to how these individuals or their claims were independently verified or assessed for credibility prior to publication", and he believes "the entire process has been fundamentally unfair and completely lacking in any due impartiality".TRENDINGStoriesVideosYour SayHe also said he was stepping down from his role at West Ham to "apply my full energy and attention on fighting these false allegations" and indicated he would be issuing libel proceedings against the BBC.Kretinsky and Gold in a statement: "Our thoughts go out to those women who have fought so hard to make their voices heard."Any abuse of power is abhorrent, and it takes great courage and determination to speak up against it."As communicated by West Ham, the Board representatives of shareholders other than David Sullivan were only made aware this week of the safeguarding measures that have been in place since 2023."LATEST SPORTS NEWSWorld Cup 2026 day three: US thump Paraguay while Canada draw, Scotland in action laterChristian Pulisic gives injury update after being forced off during opening World Cup gameEngland World Cup chaos as balls and training kit stolen days before Croatia clashThe new ownership deal will see Kretinsky's stake in the club rise from 27 per cent to 43 per cent, exceeding Sullivan's 38.8 per cent.Kretinsky and Gold's statement continued: "As shareholders and directors of West Ham, our focus is now firmly on protecting the future of this football club."As such, we have reached agreement on the key terms of a share purchase transaction between the Gold family and 1890 Holdings, which, subject to other shareholders' pre-emption rights and necessary approvals, would make 1890 Holdings (part of the broader group EP) the largest shareholder in West Ham with an approximately 43 per cent stake."As the largest shareholder, group EP will be able to provide the additional financing the club needs. We expect to finalise this transaction in the next couple of weeks. Once the agreement is complete, group EP and the Gold family have also agreed to vote jointly on key matters and to support the strategy targeting an immediate return to the Premier League."The statement added: "The full West Ham United Board was not notified about these allegations against Mr Sullivan until approximately a month ago, when he informed us that certain allegations against him may be published."However, the full details of the allegations, which Mr Sullivan denies, only became apparent when they were made public on June 8. In addition, as communicated by West Ham, the board representatives of shareholders other than Mr Sullivan were only made aware this week of the safeguarding measures that have been in place since 2023."As shareholders and directors of West Ham, our focus is now firmly on protecting the future of this football club. Our goal is to stabilise West Ham, retain as many of our key players as possible and, under the management of Nuno Espirito Santo, secure an immediate return to the Premier League."We are also committed to engaging with our fans and all business partners to build a stronger future for our club. We have already taken concrete steps toward this goal."In a statement announcing he was stepping down as chairman of West Ham at the weekend, Sullivan set out his categorical denial of the "factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations" being made and stated "none of these allegations relate to my more than 30 years in football".He also said: "After a lifetime spent building businesses in the adult industry, in which I have met thousands of women, it is sadly inevitable that a small number of improper conduct claims are being made against me. I categorically deny these claims."After very careful consideration and with a heavy heart, I have decided to resign as joint chair and director of West Ham United FC with immediate effect."This has been an incredibly painful decision to make, but it is one made out of love, respect and responsibility toward a football club and a fanbase that deserve absolute unity and focus moving forward."Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

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