EXCLUSIVE White House invites MAGA-friendly UFC fighters to generate buzz at Trump's big military parade
Trump is staging the event in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US Army on Saturday, which also happens to mark his 79th birthday.
While forecasted thunderstorms are threatening to literally rain on his parade - with a Pentagon source confirming that it will be canceled or postponed in the event of lightning - the president will have two ex-MMA stars alongside him to generate a buzz if it indeed goes ahead.
Kennedy, an American soldier as well as a retired mixed martial artist, and former UFC Middleweight champion Rockhold are on a list of over 30 celebrities set to attend after receiving personal invites from the White House.
Both men will be there to both drum up support for Trump, who is of course good friends with UFC President Dana White, and celebrate the history of the US Army, something Kennedy is very familiar with himself after spending over two decades in the military.
Earlier this week the 45-year-old took to Instagram in his army uniform to give fans a sneak preview of the parade setup, saying in a video: 'This is an amazing opportunity, this is a once in a lifetime chance to see and celebrate American soldiers and their service.'
Ex-UFC stars Tim Kennedy (left) and Luke Rockhold (right) were invited by White House chiefs
He later added: 'Check it out this Saturday. Support the greatest nation that ever existed.'
Kennedy, who won 18 of his 24 professional MMA bouts, is a well-publicized Trump supporter and even joined the president in Oval Office back in April as part of a special event to honor US veterans.
Rockhold, meanwhile, recently reached out to Trump with a plea after his good friend and fellow ex-MMA fighter Cain Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison for the attempted murder of a man he believed had molested one of his relatives.
In his own career, the 40-year-old won 16 of his 22 contests and captured the UFC's middleweight crown in 2015.
Ahead of Saturday's parade, A Pentagon source confirmed to the Daily Mail that if there's lightning in the area it will have to be canceled or postponed.
A White House spokesperson pressed that some show would go on.
'Any changes to the Army Birthday Parade will be announced by the Department of Defense of America 250 Commission. No matter what, a historic celebration of our military servicemembers will take place!' deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said to the Daily Mail.
The Weather Channel's current forecast for Saturday in Washington calls for cloudy skies in the morning with thunderstorms developing later in the day.
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A post shared by Tim Kennedy (@timkennedymma)
Instead of doing a traditional daytime parade, organizers decided to have it kick off down Constitution Ave. at 6:30 p.m.
The parade itself will only last an hour - with a concert planned directly afterward followed by a fireworks display over the National Mall.
Trump has long wanted to have a military-style parade, after seeing France's Bastille Day festivities, which also marked the U.S.'s 100th anniversary of entering World War I, in July of 2017.
During his first term he was dissuaded from holding one over cost concerns.
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