The event, organized in celebration of the President's 80th birthday, will feature the Hispanic-Georgian fighter Ilia Topuria as the main attraction. Topuria, along with other figures from mixed martial arts, was welcomed this Wednesday in the Oval Office.
During the meeting, Trump revealed images of the infrastructure that will soon be built in the Ellipse, the iconic park located in front of the southern portico of the White House and next to the National Mall in Washington. According to UFC President Dana White, the fight card for that day currently includes six matches, with the main event being the fight between Topuria and American fighter Justin Gaethje for the lightweight belt unification. During the presentation, Trump praised the resilience of the Spanish fighter, referring to him as someone "they say can't get any tougher."
Ilia Topuria, who remains undefeated in his professional career, expressed deep gratitude to the President for providing the opportunity to organize what he described as the "biggest event in sports history". The fighter thanked God and expressed his surprise at the treatment received in the Oval Office, noting that he never imagined the U.S. President would be "so kind". Also present in the presidential office were Brazilian fighter Alex Pereira and French fighter Cyril Gane, who will headline another key match on the historic June 14th card.
This event marks Donald Trump's return to his roots in the world of sports entertainment. Before entering politics, the President was an active boxing promoter in New York during the 1980s and 1990s. His close ties to combat sports were further solidified through his long-standing relationship with the WWE, the leading professional wrestling company in the U.S., which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2013. With this new initiative in Washington, Trump celebrates his eight decades of life reaffirming his historic connection to the combat sports industry.