Donald Trump's UFC birthday extravaganza kicked off with a 'chilling' start on Sunday as fans hailed the rendition of the national anthem in front of the White House. The historic UFC Freedom 250 fight night was held on the South Lawn of the White House in a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the nation, as well as the President's 80th birthday. Trump was greeted by a chorus of trumpets on the White House's South Lawn on Sunday as he sauntered in alongside UFC chief Dana White. Zac Brown Band was then granted the honor of performing The Star-Spangled Banner, before a 12-jet flyover followed as AC/DC's 'Thunderstruck' blared. 

The performance drew immediate praise on social media. 'Tonight’s Rendition of Our National Anthem Was One of the Best Ever - It was Preformed by Country Singer Zac Brown, along with The Marine Band - God Bless America!', one fan wrote on X. 'Zac Brown Band and that flyover. That’s my favorite performance of The National Anthem of all time,' another delighted fan wrote on the social media platform. Another fan added: 'Zac Brown is a once in a generation talent and the United States’ military is nothing short of bad[expletive]'.

The stellar performance set the tone for the evening, which had previously threatened to be ruined by a forecast of rain and thunderstorms at the time of the event starting. However, as Dana White had stated many times in the build-up, nothing was going to stop this historic fight card from taking place. Not even a thunderstorm. The White House has been particularly sensitive about the subject of a weather delay. Earlier on Sunday, when the Weather Channel reported 'Rain, 30mph winds and mosquitos on the White House lawn,' a furious administration spokesperson shot back on X. 'This event is about celebrating America's unmatched greatness after 250 years — which apparently doesn't sit well with the friendless loser who wrote this bulls*** clickbait headline,' read the post from the White House's @RapidResponse47 account.

Fortunately for attendees, the threatening storms have held off, allowing the fight card to get underway shortly after the original scheduled 8pm start. Similarly to the national anthem rendition, the fights themselves didn't disappoint. The opening bout between Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia was an absolute blockbuster and ended with an emphatic knockout by the Brazilian star Lopes. Afterwards, American stars Bo Nickal and Kyle Daukaus went to war. It didn't take long, however, with Nickal dominating the bout and knocking out his counterpart. Following that, UFC fan favorite Michael Chandler suffered a brutal defeat to lightweight rival Mauricio Ruffy, who put in a striking clinic to end it in the first round.