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The fighters at the UFC Freedom 250 event were accompanied to the octagon by Medal of Honor recipients at the event on Sunday night. As a resulted, it appeared as though they were being saluted during their walk-outs.
As UFC fighters walked out to the octagon at the UFC Freedom 250 event, they were each flanked by Medal of Honor recipients. While the Medal of Honor recipients may or may not have been thrilled at the opportunity — there is no way of knowing unless they publicly spoke out about it — one result of the staging was certain: they, and anyone they happened to be standing next to at the time, would be saluted.
According to Military.com, while there is nothing in the law or regulations (except for the Air Force) that states a military member must salute a Medal of Honor recipient, it’s a tradition that carry out nonetheless as a sign of respect. In short, it’s an unwritten rule.
The Medal of Honor recipients — given to those who have “shaped our nation’s history… with their acts of valor, humanity, patriotism and sacrifice” — are the only individuals saluted by all ranks of the military, including the Commander in Chief (the President). Of the more than 40 million Americans who have served in the US Armed Forces since the Civil War, fewer than 4,000 of them have been awarded the Medal of Honor. It is the highest and most prestigious military decoration awarded by the United States.
Military service members appeared to be saluting the fighters at UFC Freedom 250 because they were standing next to Medal of Honor recipients
Whether intentionally or coincidentally, the White House and the UFC organized the Freedom 250 walk-outs to have each fighter accompanied by a Medal of Honor recipient, ensuring every uniformed service member would salute them, and anyone in their immediate vicinity, as they walked past.
The UFC is doing a very clever thing: they have given each fighter an honor guard that includes a medal of honor recipient, which means every service member must salute as the fighter walks past pic.twitter.com/JDxA4S4EzB
— Laura Jedeed (@LauraJedeed) June 15, 2026
I’ve seen this question a lot. I can’t tell if anyone’s asking it legitimately or if it’s got an agenda behind it. Here’s the answer.
The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines lining the halls are saluting the Medal of Honor Recipients that are walking out the fighters. They… https://t.co/aHiaMmbjlj pic.twitter.com/ZnQ9oBPfA5
— Ronnie Adkins (@RonnieAdkins) June 15, 2026
They’re not.
They’re saluting Medal of Honor Recipient Ty Carter who is walking alongside him.
As is appropriate. https://t.co/C8FvyUTsry
— Paul Rieckhoff🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@PaulRieckhoff) June 15, 2026