UFC White House event contends with weather

WASHINGTON (7News) — With thousands of spectators expected to attend the UFC fights at The White House, fans had to fight the weather while awaiting the much-anticipated event.

Fight night on Sunday was preceded by excitement in the hours leading up to the first bout.

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“Everywhere you walk, people have American flags; they’re excited about the fights,” said David Klimek.

The heat and humidity blanketed the nation’s capital throughout the day.

Event staff handed out free water bottles along the path leading to the security screening area.

“We’re probably just going to find a bar or a watch party, maybe get out of the heat a little bit. They were giving out free waters. That was cool. I wasn’t expecting that,” said Nathan Willingham.

Klimek echoed this sentiment, telling 7News, “It’s just too hot out here. We try to have water, but you’re standing in the sun, so we did the best we can.”

It wasn’t just the heat that played a role on Sunday.

The possibility of storms also had fans making plans in case they had to find cover.

“We planned to just wait it out right in the rain. But for the lightning, we were just going to follow the crowd, see where people go. I heard they were going to come back when it’s over, so we just trusted the organizers to keep us safe,” Klimek said.

Ethan Ragland told 7News, “I think we’re just going to go to a bar, just watch the fight there if that happens. That’s the ‘plan B,’ I guess.”

In the days leading up to the fights, public safety officials ramped up security measures.

That included road closures all around the National Mall.

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“I think they did a really good job of setting up all of the infrastructure. They got a lot of police. It seems like it’s pretty safe,” Willingham said. “I was worried about the possibility of some dangerous stuff, but it seems like it’s very, very secure.”

Many roads will remain closed through Monday evening.