UFC Freedom 250 will continue after a federal judge on Friday rejected a legal challenge to the event.
Ilia Topuria shoves Justin Gaethje in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., as tensions rise during the final press conference before the headliner bout at this weekend’s UFC White House event.
Topria, the undefeated Georgian-Spanish lightweight belt holder, is back from a nearly year-long hiatus following a highly publicized divorce.
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Gaethje is the interim champion and beloved American fighter who won the belt in Topuria’s absence by defeating rising star Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 in January.
UFC boss Dana White separated the fighters after Topuria shoved Gaethje during their showdown at a press conference on Friday. Gaethje laughed and told his opponent after the incident: “Look where we are, look at this beautiful scenery, do you want to act like an animal?”
Earlier, Topria, 29, said he intended to knock Gaethje out in the first round of Sunday night’s bout.
“I know I’m the best in the world. In two days we’ll be sharing the same spot. I know I’m the best. Prove me wrong if you can,” Topria said.
Gaethje, 37, dismissed Topuria’s threats, saying his experience was the deciding factor.
“I’ve had a lot of experience inside the cage, so I’m going to use that experience to be great. All I have to do is get in there and be great…I’m going to get in there and put the fight in. That’s all I can do,” he said.
Before Topuria left, he was in the middle of three of the most iconic games in sports history. In the span of 16 months, Topuria defeated future Hall of Famers Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira each with devastating knockouts in a total of six rounds.
He is widely expected to do the same against the future Hall of Famer in Gaethje on Sunday night, but Gaethje’s fearless personality should make for an interesting matchup.
The co-main event will feature superstar Alex “Poitan” Pereira moving up to heavyweight as he looks to become the first three-division champion in UFC history with an interim title fight against Cyril Gane.
American fan favorite Sean O’Malley, aka “Suga,” is also scheduled to compete, while 38-year-old Canadian Ayeman Zahavi will be tested.
The event, dubbed UFC Freedom 250, is scheduled to take place on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday as part of the Republican president’s plans to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The event features mixed martial arts matches held inside an octagonal cage set inside a 28-meter (92-foot) claw-like structure erected on the South Lawn of the White House in recent weeks.
A court has ruled against a lawsuit seeking to cancel the event.
Earlier Friday, a federal judge refused to block Trump from hosting an event on the White House grounds.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled against two Washington-area residents who argued in a lawsuit that the Trump administration exceeded its authority in hosting the event, dubbed “UFC Freedom 250,” by failing to get Congressional approval, among other reasons.
The plaintiffs were seeking a judicial order to prevent the event. Mehta said the two challengers had “fallen short of showing that they were ‘directly affected’ by the defendants’ actions” and had unduly delayed filing the lawsuit. A White House spokesperson said in a statement that the judge rightly rejected the “untimely and frivolous” effort.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said they were disappointed but respected the ruling.
“This is not a case about a sporting event, but a case about corruption, as a small number of people and companies seek to profit from our public monuments,” they said in a statement.
UFC’s parent company is publicly traded TKO Group Holdings. TKO is also the parent company of professional wrestling organization WWE. Linda McMahon, a longtime former WWE executive, is serving as President Trump’s education secretary.
