Three days before the first punches are set to be thrown at a White House-UFC event, the South Lawn is unrecognizable. A space that has over the decades hosted world leaders, prisoners of war, and children hunting Easter eggs, is now dominated by a massive, spider-like arch. It towers over the White House, which now seems almost modest by comparison.
For those in Washington, it has been impossible to miss the hulking 92-foot canopy known as “the claw” being raised behind the White House in preparation for a literal cage match. Up close, its scale becomes more disorienting, with lighting rigs and catwalks layered into a single suspended frame that organizers say can hold 4,000 people. A giant LED screen stands at the southern edge of the temporary arena, pointed toward spectators gathering on the Ellipse. Beyond the structure, the Washington Monument looms in the distance.
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