It's official. At 5 in the morning on International Women's Day, Ilia Topuria (17-0) confirmed that he will fight on June 14 at the White House against Justin Gaethje (27-5) on the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump and the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The fight confirmation comes at a time when relations between the United States and Spain are strained due to differing positions on the conflict with Iran.
It has been almost a year since Topuria put Charles Oliveira to sleep to win the lightweight title and become the tenth double champion in the UFC, the first to do so undefeated. That victory on June 18, 2025, propelled the Spanish-Georgian to the number one pound-for-pound spot in the mixed martial arts league and cemented his name among the legends of the sport.
Thus, when Dana White planned a special event for his friend Donald Trump's birthday at the White House, Topuria had to be among the chosen ones. It will be a night that will also commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. 'Freedom Fights 250 - The White House' will feature six fights around an octagon set up in the southern garden of the presidential residence with just 5,000 spectators. The setup to honor the American president will cost over 60 million dollars.
Although there was speculation about the possibility of facing the two biggest symbols of the UFC, the Spanish-Georgian and the Russian Islam Makhachev, ultimately the choice was made for the Arizona fighter. In the Topuria - Gaethje fight, the Spaniard will have to unify the lightweight title as his opponent is the current interim champion after defeating Paddy Pimblet on January 24 in Las Vegas. The UFC came up with this alternative after the break requested by the double champion to address personal issues stemming from a complaint by his wife Giorgina Uzcategui.
Fight poster at the White House.IG
At 37 years old, Gaethje, originally from Safford, Arizona, is one of the American symbols of the UFC. Formerly holding the BMF belt, which was recently taken by Oliveira from Holloway, he currently holds the number 1 spot in the lightweight rankings.
Also on the card, Alex Pereira (13-3) and Ciryl Gane (13-2) will fight for the interim heavyweight title, Sean O'Malley will face Aiemann Zahabi in the bantamweight category, Mauricio Ruffy will take on Michael Chandler in another lightweight duel, Bo Nickal will fight Kyle Daukaus in the middleweight division, and Diego Lopes will go up against Steve Garci in the featherweight division.
The Spanish Council of Ministers, at the proposal of Spanish President Pedro Sánchez, granted Spanish nationality to Ilia Topuria in March 2024. However, relations between the Spanish head of state and President Trump are strained due to differences regarding the Iranian conflict.
If the American president already criticized Spain's position on military spending, the conflict over the use of Spanish bases to operate in Iranian territory ended with the patience of an American president who said, "Some European nations have been helpful. Others, like Spain, have been terrible."
Sánchez reiterated his "No to war" stance to criticize U.S. intervention in the Middle Eastern country. "This war is an extraordinary mistake that we will pay for," stated the Spanish president despite Trump's threats to cut commercial ties with Spain.