By Mike Scarcella

WASHINGTON, June 12 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday refused to block President Donald Trump from hosting a private mixed martial arts event on White House grounds, allowing the fights scheduled for next Sunday to proceed inside a new high-rise building.

Federal Judge Amit Mehta dismissed a lawsuit filed by two Washington, D.C., residents who argued that the Trump administration exceeded its authority in organizing the event, dubbed "UFC Freedom 250," among other things, by failing to obtain congressional authorization. The plaintiffs had sought an injunction to block the event.

The event is scheduled to coincide with Trump's 80th birthday as part of the Republican president's plans to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. It will feature mixed martial arts matches held in an octagonal cage located within a 28-meter-tall, claw-like structure erected in recent weeks on the South Lawn of the White House, with fighters weighed in at the nearby Lincoln Memorial.

The plaintiffs filed a lawsuit on June 6, arguing that professional sporting events are prohibited by law at both locations, and that the arena built for the fights lacks the required congressional license.

The lawsuit stated, "The public landmarks of this nation should not be loaned out for private exploitation."

The plaintiffs objected to the commercial motives of the event, which is held on federal land, and described it as "highly corrupt".

The lawsuit stated that "UFC Freedom 250" is a private, for-profit sporting event that is "planned, organized, and executed" by the UFC Mixed Martial Arts organization and its broadcasting and advertising partners, and not by the federal government.

Prosecutors said the event was not a celebration of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, but rather "a celebration of the U.F.C. commercial mixed martial arts brand and Donald Trump's 80th birthday."

For these reasons, the plaintiffs added that the UFC Freedom 250 event does not meet the strict requirements that must be met for holding special events commemorating the founding of the nation in South Park or at the Lincoln Memorial.

The Trump administration argued in a court filing that the plaintiffs were unlikely to succeed in their claims because they had failed to demonstrate how they would be harmed by the event. The Justice Department informed Mehta that there was a history of public events being held on the White House's South Lawn.

The Trump administration added that more than 4,000 spectators are expected to attend the fights.