Ilia Topuria is set to defend his lightweight championship against Justin Gaethje in the headline bout of the upcoming UFC White House event.
Meanwhile, Alex Pereira will step up to the heavyweight division to face Ciryl Gane for the interim title on June 14, as current champion Tom Aspinall is recovering from double eye surgery. Notably, Conor McGregor disclosed that he was omitted from the event and is expected to make his return on July 11.
Michael Chandler will also feature on the card, taking on Mauricio Ruffy, while former bantamweight world champion Sean O’Malley is slated to fight Aiemann Zahabi. The fight card will be completed by Bo Nickal vs Kyle Daukaus and Diego Lopes vs Steve Garcia.
Speaking on the event, UFC CEO Dana White stated, “We have a unique situation with fighters like Pereira and Topuria aiming for multiple titles. The Topuria-Gaethje fight promises to be explosive.” White highlighted the challenges in finalizing the card, mentioning last-minute adjustments made by the matchmaking team.
Regarding Aspinall’s future, White remained undecided, noting Pereira’s bout against Gane as a significant matchup that could potentially lead to a showdown with Aspinall.
In a surprising twist, former champion Jon Jones will not be making a comeback, despite earlier speculation about a potential fight with Pereira following the latter’s decision to vacate his light-heavyweight title and move up in weight class.
