Pentagon inviting soldiers to Trump's UFC fight, but only if they're fit

The Pentagon is selecting U.S. soldiers to make an appearance in uniform at an Ultimate Fighting Championship match at the White House within weeks, but service members must meet a waist-to-height ratio and pay their own way to Washington, DC, according to news reports and a screenshot shared to social media.

Hundreds of service members have received official requests in recent days from the Pentagon to attend the UFC match that will take place June 14 on the White House lawn, the Washington Post first reported May 29.

But only service members who are not overweight and fit certain height and weight requirements can attend, according to a screenshot of a Pentagon memo shared to a military Facebook group and a person familiar with the matter. The cutoff is a waist-to-height ratio of less than 0.55, according to the shared memo and a CNN report.

And, although service members will receive complimentary tickets, they must get to the nation's capital on their own dime, the person said.

An Army official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said soldiers who were fans of UFC fights and who meet Army standards were given a preference, which the official said is standard practice for such events. A total of 300 tickets were available for Army members, 100 of them for the Army National Guard, he said.

The Pentagon declined to comment.

Davis Ingle, a White House spokesperson, referred USA TODAY to UFC on "ticket allocation."

"This will be one of the greatest and most historic sports events in history, and President Trump hosting it at the White House is a testament to his vision to celebrate America’s monumental 250th anniversary," Ingle said in a statement to USA TODAY.

Around 1,200 of the match's 4,300 attendees will be active-duty military members, UFC CEO Dana White told TIME in an interview. The match is invite-only, but giant screens will be installed in the Ellipse to allow around 85,000 additional people without tickets to watch for free.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has frequently lambasted the military for loosening physical fitness requirements. In a speech to top military brass last year, he slammed "fat troops" and "fat generals and admirals."

The UFC match isn't the first time the Pentagon has implemented weight requirements for service members in the background of high-profile, televised events. When President Donald Trump spoke at Fort Bragg last June, Army leadership carefully selected troops to attend the event based on physical appearance, and barred "fat soldiers," according to a Military.com report.

Preparations are well underway for the UFC match, which falls on Trump's 80th birthday and Flag Day. Construction is ongoing at the White House to prepare a massive cage where the match will take place and a 5,000-seat arena.

It comes as the U.S. government is gearing up for a massive celebration of America's 250th birthday this summer. States across the country will hold events in celebration, from running races to battle reenactments.

Last year on Trump's birthday, the Army held a massive military parade through downtown Washington that featured thousands of soldiers marching in uniform, tanks rolling through the streets and parachuters descending from planes. The parade faced criticism that it inappropriately politicized the military.