Ammon News - France will delay this year’s Group of 7 summit to avoid a conflict with the mixed martial arts event planned at the White House on June 14, two officials with direct knowledge of G7 planning told POLITICO.

Paris had previously announced that this year’s gathering of G7 leaders would take place from June 14 — which is both Flag Day in the U.S. and President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday — to June 16 in Evian-les-Bains on the shores of Lake Geneva.

But Trump in October announced that the White House would host a “big UFC fight” on June 14. Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White told CBS News Thursday that the logistics of the event have been finalized. White said the event will gather up to 5,000 people on the South Lawn of the White House.

The G7 will now run from June 15 to June 17.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office declined to confirm whether the change, which has now been made official on the G7’s website, is directly linked to the UFC event and said the new schedule is “the result of our consultations with G7 partners.”

When asked about the delay, a White House official told POLITICO: “As the leader of the free world, our partners believed that President Trump’s attendance at the G7 Summit was essential. They kindly shifted dates to accommodate the U.S. president’s schedule.”

The possibility that the G7 summit could be postponed because of Trump’s birthday was first reported by local media LeMessager.