Ilia Topuria is set to defend his lightweight championship against Justin Gaethje in the headline bout of the upcoming UFC event hosted at the White House.
The co-main event will feature Alex Pereira moving up in weight class to challenge Ciryl Gane for the interim title on June 14, as current champion Tom Aspinall is recovering from eye surgery. Notably absent from the card is Conor McGregor, who expressed disappointment at not being included but is scheduled to return to action in July.
Michael Chandler will face Mauricio Ruffy in a highly anticipated matchup, while former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is slated to fight Aiemann Zahabi. The event’s lineup is further complemented by exciting matchups between Bo Nickal and Kyle Daukaus, as well as Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia.
CEO of UFC, Dana White, expressed enthusiasm for the event, highlighting the exceptional talent on display, particularly praising Topuria and Gaethje’s impending showdown. White acknowledged the challenges in organizing the event but emphasized the team’s dedication in finalizing the fight card.
Regarding the future of heavyweight champion Aspinall, White remained non-committal, suggesting that Pereira’s performance against Gane could potentially set up a future matchup between Pereira and Aspinall.
The announcement also confirmed that Jon Jones will not be making a return to the octagon, dispelling earlier rumors of a possible matchup with Pereira following the Brazilian’s decision to vacate his light-heavyweight title and move up a weight class.
