Get ready to see some ground and pound on the South Lawn.

Ahead of the majorly anticipated White House UFC fight to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, President Donald Trump welcomed several of the UFC’s biggest stars to the Oval Office for a preview of the upcoming fight card.

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Flanked by Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje, Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane, Trump outlined plans to transform the White House grounds into a premier fight venue for a June 14 event that coincides with Flag Day and his birthday.

“June 14, we’re having a big fight,” Trump said, showing renderings of the fight stage.

“It’s never going to happen again; it’s never happened before. It’s all of the best fighters, the best four fighters standing behind me, all four champions, and it’s going to happen right in front of the White House. This will be the greatest show on Earth.”

The card is expected to be headlined by a lightweight clash between reigning champion Ilia Topuria and interim titleholder Justin Gaethje, while a heavyweight bout between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane is also planned.

Trump praised the group’s grit.

“There are no people tougher in sports than the people behind me. These are the toughest people. Alex Pereira, we’ve seen him knock out a lot of people. That’s what he does. Ilia Topuria, who they say does not get tougher. Very special.”

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The Oval Office was filled with mutual respect between the commander in chief and the fighters.

Topuria expressed major appreciation for the invitation, saying, “I also want to thank God to give us this beautiful day and to give us the opportunity to experience how it feels to be in our Oval Office. It’s going to be amazing and we want to thank you for this opportunity … And I never thought you will be so kind.”

“Well, I have a false image,” Trump shot back in a joking manner.

Topuria also asked Trump, “Why you want to give the toughest test to a friend of yours?”

“Because he knows that’s what I want,” Gaethje chimed in.

Trump agreed, saying, “I want to give the hardest test, that’s right. What are your chances of winning?”

“I have complete faith. 100%,” Topuria answered. “And I hope [Gaethje] has the same faith.”

Brazilian warrior Alex Pereira also chimed in during the Oval Office meeting on Wednesday, “I would like to thank the opportunity to be fighting in the White House. We know it’s a special event that everybody would like to be present. It makes me feel special.”

Gane echoed the sentiment: “Just want to say thank you. It’s an honor. I’m really proud. It’s going to be really special, one time in your life.”

Justin Gaethje closed the visit by highlighting Trump’s historical support of the UFC.

“What an unbelievable honor. I’m not sure many know how big of a part you were to the UFC coming on and becoming mainstream in the early ’90s when no one believed in us and they thought we were just absolute animals. It’s truly an honor. Awesome that it’s your birthday, awesome that it’s Flag Day, wonderful to represent this country. I think we’d be 10 years behind if it wasn’t for you …

“To have a president that’s willing to go against an upstream and against the norms is truly special. That’s why you got my vote. And, it’s why we’re such a great nation right now compared to where we were.”

While the rest of the world plays politics, the UFC is playing for keeps on the most famous lawn in the country.

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Wednesday night on “Inside the NBA“ was less of a pregame show and more of a roast session as Draymond Green joined the desk.

The Golden State forward started going at it with Charles Barkley as the Mound Round of Rebound poked fun at the sinking ship that is the Warriors dynasty.

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The tension started when Sir Charles decided to eulogize the Dubs while looking Green dead in the eye.

“It’s over for the Warriors. No disrespect. It ends for every old team,” Barkley said.

“You had your run; you get old; you let Klay go. You and Steph are on the backside of your careers; it just passed you by.”

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Barkley kept his foot on the gas.

While he gave the Warriors credit for “one of the greatest runs ever,” he made it clear that Father Time remains undefeated in the paint.

“Sports … listen, sports are for young people,” Barkley added. “You hope to have a great long career, but sports … nobody wins when they’re 37, 38.”

In predictable fashion, Draymond was unable to stomach the banter.

He waited for the opening and went for the jugular, referencing Barkley’s infamous sunset years in Texas.

“Yeah, I mean, I think the goal is just to not look like you in the Houston Rockets uniform,” Green fired back.

The jab was a direct hit on Barkley’s ring-chasing era in Houston, where the Hall of Famer was famously a shell of his MVP self.

Green then shifted into a rare moment of veteran self-awareness and admitted the Warriors are in a transitional phase, but insisted the pedigree matters more than the box score.

“I think understanding what is success at this point is key for us,” Green explained. “Knowing and understanding that it may not be realistic to win a championship, but can we continue to build to that so that once we leave this organization, it’s still in a great space?”

Despite Draymond’s talk about maintaining a winning pedigree, this year was a harsh wake-up call for the Golden State faithful.

The Warriors’ season went out with a whimper as they finished 10th in the West and were bounced immediately in the play-in tournament.

Barkley might think the light is fading, but Draymond is clearly going to keep swinging on his way out.

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Major League Baseball is booming. And they better not mess it up. 

Several years ago, MLB and Commissioner Rob Manfred enacted changes meant to speed up the game through better pace of play, keeping the same amount of action in baseball while decreasing the time each game took to finish. 

The pitch clock immediately shortened game times, and more importantly, made them feel faster. Physically larger bases were introduced to encourage more stolen base attempts, which worked immediately. In 2022, the last season before the larger bases, there were 3,297 stolen base attempts leaguewide. In 2023, there were a whopping 4,369. Nearly 1,100 more attempts in just one year. 

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Banning extreme infield shifts meant fewer traditional hits, especially for left-handed hitters, were taken away by infielders playing out of position. And for 2026, the automated balls and strikes system was added to eliminate egregiously missed calls. That’s been a rousing success as well.

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And despite the offseason hand-wringing, baseball’s in a better spot than it’s been in decades. Attendance is up. World Series ratings in 2025 were massive. The World Baseball Classic has become must-see TV. Momentum is stronger than it’s been in decades. On Wednesday, that was confirmed by the latest viewership data coming from national broadcasts.

MLB Communications posted on X that, through the early part of the season, television ratings for “national exclusive” games have exploded. “Viewership for national exclusive MLB games through the first weekend of May is 2.28 million, a +44% increase over last year and the best start in 9 years,” the post says.

That’s an incredible increase and comes just a few months after many fans and media members heavily criticized the Los Angeles Dodgers for “ruining” baseball by signing free agents. It’s one thing for outsiders to have those concerns, but reports were rampant that opposing teams and their owners would use the Dodgers’ spending to push for a salary cap. 

Labor negotiations between the league and the MLB Players Association are expected to start soon, and a lockout in December when the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires seems like a near-certainty. And if there’s one line in the sand for the players, it’s a salary cap. The cap would, in their view, limit their potential earnings while doing little for competitive balance. A position supported by the current standings, where teams like the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets have struggled through the first quarter of the season.

If the cap does become the owners’ top priority, and players won’t agree to it, the sport could be thrown into an extended lockout. An extended lockout leading to canceled games would be a disaster for baseball, and risk jeopardizing the league’s impressive growth. 

Baseball is finally heading in the right direction, and hopefully these numbers are enough to make those in charge realize it. And be terrified of squandering it and hurting themselves much more than limiting player salaries would help them.