Dana White and the UFC will host an unforgettable night of action later tonight – which will take place on the South Lawn of the White House.
US President Donald Trump has opened his doors for a very select few fighters to showcase their talents on the big stage. After months of anticipation as to who would headline the event, the UFC unveiled the official fight card earlier this year. In the main event, Ilia Topuria will defend his lightweight title for the first time against interim champion Justin Gaethje.
In the co-main event, Alex Pereira will be moving up to heavyweight to challenge Ciryl Gane for the interim 265lb gold strap. Also on the card, former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley will take on Aiemann Zahabi, while names like Josh Hokit, Derrick Lewis, Mauricio Ruffy and Michael Chandler will also feature on the billing. And so, here is everything you need to know ahead of tonight’s fights…
The UFC will stage a historic night of fighting tonight on the South Lawn of the White House. It will start at 1am UK time on Monday (8pm ET / 7pm CT / 5pm PT). In the main event, Gaethje will make the walk to the cage first at around 4am UK time on Monday (11pm ET / 10pm CT / 8pm PT) with Topuria set to follow shortly after. The two stars will then touch gloves soon after before the first bell sounds. The fight should not start later than this but could be brought forward if the undercard fights are completed earlier than expected.
The fights will be shown on the UK on TNT Sports and HBO Max. The card is not set to be a pay-per-view event so existing customers will be able to watch the fights free of charge. The fights will also be streamed on Paramount+ in the US. The fights can be watched on TV or streamed through your mobile device.
- Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje
- Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane
- Sean O’Malley vs Aiemann Zahabi
- Derrick Lewis vs Josh Hokit
- Mauricio Ruffy vs Michael Chandler
- Bo Nickal vs Kyle Daukaus
- Diego Lopes vs Steve Garcia
Ilia Topuria: “I always had the desire to knock him out. But this time it was like if after I knocked him out, I would shake his hand and show him some respect. This time, it’s not going to be like that. I’m not going to show him any respect.” He added: “I always had the perception that he was kind of an idiot. He just confirmed that. So it wasn’t any surprise to me.”
Justin Gaethje: “I think it definitely doesn’t need to be personal. I mean, ultimately we’re going to try to hurt each other. So, I guess that is pretty personal. But that is the job that we do. I never said anything personal. But we’re very vulnerable when it comes to fight week. We’re very emotional and so we take everything personal and so no matter what I said or didn’t say, we’re going to take it personal. No matter what he says, I’m going to take it personal because I have a chip on my shoulder and this guy’s trying to fight me, beat me up.”
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