Ilia Topuria will defend his lightweight title for the first time later this evening against interim title-holder Justin Gaethje in a historic event at the White House. The Georgian-Spanish fighter headlines a one-of-a-kind UFC showcase on the grounds of the White House, with US President Donald Trump watching closely.
Topuria's Meteoric Rise
Topuria has enjoyed a meteoric rise since making his promotional debut in 2020. He struck featherweight gold two years ago by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski. The 29-year-old successfully defended the strap against Max Holloway before moving up to 155lb. Immediately, Topuria was handed a shot at the vacant title last year against Charles Oliveira. 'El Matador' needed just minutes to render the Brazilian unconscious and become a two-division champion. His first defence comes this evening against knockout artist Gaethje.
Gaethje's Path to the Title
The proud American earned his third shot at UFC gold after defeating Paddy Pimblett in an epic back-and-forth dust-up earlier this year.
UFC White House UK Start Time Tonight
The UFC will stage a historic night of fighting tonight, which also marks US President Donald Trump's 80th birthday. The event starts at 1am UK time on Monday (8pm ET / 7pm CT / 5pm PT). In the main event, Gaethje will walk to the cage first at around 4am UK time on Monday (11pm ET / 10pm CT / 8pm PT), with Topuria following shortly after. The two stars will touch gloves before the first bell sounds. The fight should not start later than this but could be brought forward if undercard fights finish early.
How to Watch and Stream UFC White House Fights
The fights will be shown in the UK on TNT Sports and HBO Max. The card is not a pay-per-view event, so existing customers can watch free of charge. The fights will also be streamed on Paramount+ in the US. Viewers can watch on TV or stream via mobile devices.
UFC White House Fight Card
- 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
Quotes Corner
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.”
