Ahead of Friday’s UFC 328 ceremonial weigh-in in Newark, the UFC hosted a Freedom 250 press conference, with the White House card just over a month away.
Much has been written, and much more will be, about the spectacle set for the White House lawn on President Donald Trump’s birthday. The first professional sporting event ever held on the White House grounds is a monumental one, but the card hasn’t resonated with fans the way it should, thanks to the lack of some of the sports biggest names. One name, in particular, that is rather glaringly absent: Jon Jones.
In fact, of the top four fighters, just one is American: Justin Gaethje. Far from a favorite to defeat lightweight champion Ilia Topuria. The fight will no doubt be all-action, and can be seen as Gaethje’s final shot at an undisputed title after twice winning interim belts.
The co-main event between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane, meanwhile, is nothing if not intriguing, and marks the debut of “Poatan” at heavyweight. Pereira captured gold at both 185 and 205lbs, and the UFC has never seen a fighter earn belts in three weight classes. If anyone can do it, it’s almost certainly Pereira, who hits like a truck regardless of weight class — the question is, can he survive the punches fired back at him, and deal with the size and weight of some of the larger heavyweights in the grappling exchanges to come.
Yet even that fight looks curiously out of a place on a fight card designed to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. No, there was never going to be six or seven title fights, as Trump once claimed. Two, one of them for an interim belt, will have to suffice. The lack of star power is the issue, but perhaps signifies an issue for the UFC overall: in an era where cheap talent is constantly thrown into the mix via the Contender Series, a lack of stars overall means Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia kicks off what will likely be one of the most viewed UFC cards in history.
Ahead of the June 14 event, catch the UFC Freedom 250 press conference above!
