Topuria shoves Gaethje at Lincoln Memorial ahead of White House UFC title fight

The shove

Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria pushed interim title holder Justin Gaethje backwards during their face-off at the Lincoln Memorial news conference on Friday, forcing UFC president Dana White to step between them. Gaethje laughed and asked,

“Look where we're at, look at this beautiful view and you want to act like an animal?”

Topuria later explained that he had warned Gaethje not to get close, and when Gaethje replied

“Are you going to punch me?”

, Topuria answered yes. The hostility had been building after Gaethje mocked Topuria's recent divorce in an interview.

The fighters

Topuria, a 29-year-old Georgian-Spaniard, returns from a yearlong hiatus following his divorce with an unbeaten record and a run of three first-round knockouts over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira in just 16 months. Gaethje, 37, earned the interim belt by upsetting Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 in January and cites his experience as the decisive factor. Topuria vowed to 

“knock his lights out in the first round”

, while Gaethje promised to 

“put it on the line”

.

The venue and political backdrop

The event, named UFC Freedom 250, takes place on Sunday at the White House South Lawn, where a temporary ring covered by a steel structure lit in the colours of the American flag can seat around 4,000 spectators. It coincides with President Donald Trump's 80th birthday and the 250th anniversary of United States independence. Two citizens filed a lawsuit claiming the White House was being misused for a private, money-making activity run by Trump's personal friend Dana White, but a judge refused to block the event on Friday.

Co-main event and history

The co-headliner sees Brazil's Alex Pereira move up to heavyweight against France's Ciryl Gane for an interim title. If Pereira wins, he becomes the first fighter in UFC history to hold belts in three divisions (middleweight, light-heavyweight and heavyweight). Topuria called Pereira a GOAT for those achievements. The news conference also featured American favourite Shawn O'Malley, who faces Canada's Aiemann Zahabi, and repeated interruptions by American heavyweight Josh Hokit, prompting Topuria to ask the UFC to cut his microphone.

Weather and logistics

An outdoor news conference at the Lincoln Memorial, the site of Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' speech, was delayed an hour by heavy rain before the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets provided a guard of honour. June thunderstorms are common in Washington DC, and organisers are monitoring the weather ahead of Sunday's open-air card at the Ellipse.