The time has finally come as the UFC hits the White House for one of the most ambitious fight nights in combat sports history.
On President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, seven fights will take place on the front garden of one of the most famous buildings in the world. A select crowd will watch Ilia Topuria defend his UFC lightweight title against interim champ Justin Gaethje in the main event.
They will also be treated to a mouthwatering heavyweight clash as Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane meet for the interim belt – and the right to face undisputed heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. There will also be appearances from Sean O’Malley and Michael Chandler. The action kicks off at 1am UK time and you can follow every fight right here…
New UpdatesToday00:15 BST
Now, to your passionate UFC fan, of course, tonight’s card will NOT be rigged. Rather silly to even suggest. However, some stunning scenes has emerged after Daniel Cormier revealed messages from Donald Trump’s son, Eric. It’s worth noting that the post has now been deleted.
But from Cormier’s exchanges with Trump, the latter asked the former two-division UFC champion whether tonight’s fights are ‘rigged.’ Trump began asking about predictions before the topic of ‘rigged’ fights came into play.
“I’ll just cut to the chase. Are any of the fights tomorrow rigged? I’ve been eyeing the (Diego) Lopes fight and I think an upset wouldn’t be too unrealistic,” an alleged message read.
James EvansToday00:07 BST
Contentious heavyweight star Josh Hokit has grabbed the headlines on multiple occasions throughout fight week after trading barbs with the likes of Derrick Lewis, Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira. But his antics did not end on Saturday morning during the official weigh-ins.
The undefeated fighter seemingly pretended to throw up on the scales – as some sort of sick-coloured liquid came dribbling from his mouth.
“So what? Maybe I was drinking last night,” he said. “Who wouldn’t be?
“I’ve got a giant man who wants to knock me out. He has the most knockouts in UFC history” – he added, referencing opponent Lewis.
(Image: Joey Sussman/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)
Tempers flared at the pre-fight press conference earlier this week as Ilia Topuria SHOVED Justin Gaethje during the pre-fight face off. Both men were rather cordial with each other when the fight was first announced, but it seems the respect has gone out the window these last few weeks after Gaethje allegedly made a comment about Topuria’s messy divorce.
And at the pre-fight press conference, the pair traded barbs before coming nose-to-nose. After a few insults were thrown, Topuria ended up pushing his rival.
“Look at this beautiful view, and you want to act like a f***ing animal? You’re an emotional little animal,” Gaethje said.
Speaking later on the Paramount+ broadcast, Topuria explained why he pushed Gaethje.
“I just told him don’t come closer, and he told me, like, ‘What, you’re going to punch me?’ And I was, like, ‘Yeah.’ And he came closer,” hesaid. “I had to push him, because if I punch him, he’s not going to be able to show up for the fight.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Ilia Topuria and Oleksandr Usyk bumped into each other last night while the Georgian-Spanish fighter was ‘celebrating a win over Justin Gaethje’ 24 hours before the actual fight.
‘El Matador’ famously threw a party a day before his win over Charles Oliveira last year, and has done the same again this time around. As they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
And while Ilia was enjoying time with his inner circle, he met two-dvision undisputed champion Usyk. Imagine those two as a tag team pair – unstoppable!
James Evans14th Jun23:44 BST
Now, I know what you are all probably think ‘Conor McGregor is not on the card tonight!’ Yes, I am fully aware – but apparently the former two-division UFC champion will make some sort of appearance on the broadcast this evening.
According to the Irishman himself, he has recently filmed some sort of chat with UFC commentator Joe Rogan – which will be aired on tonight’s showcase.
The 37-year-old is expected to make a sensational return to the cage next month against Max Holloway – headlining the International Fight Week card.
“I just completed a segment with @joerogan that will air on the @ufc broadcast tonight.
“Enjoy and good luck with the show! See you in Vegas,” he wrote on social media.
James Evans14th Jun23:39 BST
In just a few hours, all of tonight’s fighters will make their way to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and wrap up some last minute preparations before they make the walk to the cage.
Imagine being in the same room as Pereira…
(Image: Zuffa LLC)
(Image: Zuffa LLC)
A quick look at how tonight’s cage will look. When Donald Trump announced plans to stage a UFC event on the grounds of the White House, it seemed like a pipedream.
But in just a few hours time, it’s about to turn into a reality, and the UFC crew have done an exceptional job at getting everything ready.
Just look at the setting!
(Image: Zuffa LLC)
(Image: Zuffa LLC)
The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the District of Columbia, parts of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia – which will be in effect until 11pm ET tonight!
Keep your eyes peeled, MMA fans…
James Evans14th Jun23:30 BST
Former two-division champion Alex Pereira is set to fight in the co-main event tonight against Ciryl Gane. Amid talk of the weather, the Brazilian took to social media to ease fans, saying that he feels “connected to nature” and that it’s not going to rain at the UFC White House event tonight.
He said: “There’s a lot of people talking about the weather… but listen here. You can all remain at ease because I’ve already connected to nature and it’s not gonna rain. Chama.”
The UFC has already advised attending the UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest to “plan accordingly” due to expected inclement weather
“We anticipate inclement weather in the area, so attendees should plan accordingly. We will share additional information when available.”
And now, coverage has already been delayed – with the first fight now due to get underway at around 2am UK time.
James Evans14th Jun23:24 BST
In the build-up, a lot was made of the weather, as rain has been forecast over in Washington. But in the word of Dana White, the show must go on. But fans have already been hit with a major scare after it was confirmed that the broadcast will not actually start until 1am BST (8pm ET) with the first fight due to get underway at around 2am UK time.
It’s going to be a long night for European fans…
James Evans14th Jun23:21 BST
Good evening and welcome to our live blog for the historic UFC White House card tonight. A little over 24 hours from Tommy Fury’s triumph over Eddie Hall, we are back with some more action in the world of combat sports. It’ll take some doing to top Ibiza Final Boss’ fight of the year contender with Jordan McCann but I am sure some of tonight’s athletes will give it a go.
That was a joke – obviously.
On Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, rather than asking for something small, he has instead wished for something big – staging a UFC event on his front lawn. But we are here, and tonight promises to be a cracker.
Ilia Topuria will defend his lightweight title against Justin Gaethje in the main event, while Alex Pereira will face off with Ciryl Gane for the interim strap in the co-main event. It’s going to be epic, so be sure to follow all of our coverage.