Topuria Shoves Gaethje at Lincoln Memorial
Ilia Topuria (left) remains undefeated in 17 fights.
Ilia Topuria shoved Justin Gaethje in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the final news conference before the UFC's unprecedented event at the White House on Sunday.
Both fighters predicted victory in their unification lightweight title fight. Lightweight champion Topuria, 29, pushed interim title holder Gaethje, who responded by laughing off the incident.
UFC president Dana White separated the fighters with a wry smile on his face. American Gaethje was heard saying to Topuria:
"Look where we're at, look at this beautiful view and you want to act like an animal?"
Earlier, Georgian-Spaniard Topuria had told 37-year-old Gaethje he was
"going to knock his lights out in the first round".
Topuria said:
"I know I'm best in the world, in two days we're going to share the same place. I know I'm the best, just prove me wrong if you can."
The news conference was hosted in Washington DC, two days before the event on the White House's South Lawn.
The one-of-a-kind show, called UFC Freedom 250, is taking place on US President Donald Trump's 80th birthday as part of celebrations marking 250 years of American independence.
The Lincoln Memorial provided an eye-catching backdrop for the fighters, who were given a guard of honour by the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets before taking their seats.
While there were tense moments between Topuria and Gaethje, there was little interaction between France's Ciryl Gane and Brazil's Alex Pereira, who will fight for the interim heavyweight title in the co-main event.
Should Pereira win, he will become the first fighter in UFC history to hold belts in three divisions after previously holding the middleweight and light-heavyweight titles.
Earlier, Topuria described Pereira as a GOAT (greatest of all time) for his achievements inside the octagon.
He said:
"He's the goat already. One of the goats already, because we have many in this sport. He's going to join that list without any doubt."
The news conference was interrupted multiple times by American heavyweight Josh Hokit, with Topuria at one point requesting the UFC to turn off his microphone.
'We are fighting on Sunday no matter what'
The news conference was delayed by about one hour due to "inclement weather," with the UFC advising attendees to "check weather conditions before travelling."
The weather could cause delays during the event on Sunday, with thunderstorms forecast in Washington DC.
Previously, White expressed his dislike of hosting events outdoors because of the "unpredictability" of the weather, and earlier this month he identified thunderstorms as the only threat to the show.
He said:
"If it rains, we're going. If it snows, we're going. The only thing that kills us is lightning."
During the news conference, White said he was "sick and tired" of hearing about the weather and vowed:
"We are fighting on Sunday on the White House lawn, no matter what."
The White House has hosted recreational sports and events before, but the UFC's show will mark the first professional live sporting event to take place on the grounds.
The UFC has spent approximately $60 million (£44.3 million) on the event, with White describing it as having the potential to be the "biggest and most historic sporting event of all time."
On Friday, the show was cleared to proceed after a judge rejected a federal lawsuit alleging the event would violate American law.
The Public Integrity Project filed the lawsuit, claiming a "profound misuse of sacred national monuments for private gain" by the Trump administration, but the challenge was denied by Judge Amit P. Mehta.
Fans were urged to find shelter due to thunderstorms in Washington DC.
A rainbow was seen in the sky behind fans at the Lincoln Memorial.
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