Ilia Topuria is without doubt one of the UFC’s high rated fighter and a double-weight champion who has gained all 17 of his fights. Picture: AFP/File
WASHINGTON:
An Final Preventing Championship occasion to be staged on the White Home’s South Garden in June will he headlined by Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, the UFC introduced Saturday.
The light-weight championship conflict will high a invoice of six fights set to happen on the US Flag Day vacation and the eightieth birthday of President Donald Trump, who’s an avowed UFC fan.
The June 14 occasion has been dubbed “UFC Freedom 250,” in reference to the US’ 250th anniversary celebrations this summer time.
Topuria is without doubt one of the UFC’s high rated fighters and a double-weight champion who has gained all 17 of his fights.
A former featherweight champion, he earned the light-weight belt final yr by knocking out Brazil’s Charles Oliveira earlier than briefly stepping away from the game for private causes.
Born in Germany to Georgian refugee mother and father, Topuria moved to Spain as a youngster, and has each Georgian and Spanish citizenship.
In Topuria’s UFC absence, Arizona native Gaethje gained an interim light-weight title, however will now have an opportunity to seize the undisputed championship.
The 37-year-old American has a 27-5 document in UFC.
Trump has stated a stadium for greater than 100,000 individuals could be constructed in entrance of the White Home for the battle, though organizers have since stated the occasion is anticipated to host some 3,000 to 4,000 individuals on the coronary heart of Washington DC.
Massive screens to view the occasion are anticipated to be raised somewhere else close to the White Home for bigger crowds to look at the present.
The occasion was initially introduced for July 4, which is Independence Day within the US, earlier than being moved to Trump’s birthday.
The Republican president has additionally unveiled plans for an IndyCar race on the streets of Washington to mark the 250th anniversary of the nation’s independence.
UFC is the most important and most profitable group within the burgeoning world of MMA, a mix of martial arts disciplines like jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, boxing and wrestling.
Bouts happen in an eight-sided ring — dubbed “The Octagon” — bounded by a chainlink fence.
With few exceptions — equivalent to eye-gouging — female and male fighters are allowed to make use of virtually any method to assault their opponent.
The game’s reputation with younger males — a key demographic within the 2024 US election — and Trump’s lengthy affiliation with the UFC have made the president an everyday fixture at a few of its extra high-profile occasions, the place he’s greeted like a rock star.
Its brutal nature and excessive damage fee imply the game is controversial, with docs decrying the potential for mind injury amongst fighters who’re repeatedly hit within the head, although it has gained rising mainstream acceptance lately.
