The Spanish Ilia Topuria will be the protagonist of a historic evening of mixed martial arts that will be held on June 14 at the White Housein an event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship as part of the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the independence of USA.
The billboard was announced during the evening UFC 326 in Las Vegas and will feature six fights, with the undefeated Topuria as the main fight against the American Justin Gaethje for the unification of the lightweight belt (155 pounds / 70.3 kg).
The event will take place in the gardens of the White House and around 4,000 spectators are expected to attend. The evening will also coincide with the 80th birthday of the president of the United States, Donald Trump.
The long-awaited return of Topuria
Topuria, 29 years old and known as “El Matador”, will return to the octagon after several months away from competition. The Hispanic-Georgian fighter maintains an undefeated record of 17 victories and aims to extend it to 18-0 in this fight.
At the end of 2025 he announced a pause in his career to focus on his divorce process with his then wife, the Venezuelan Giorgina Uzcategui.
His last fight was in June 2025, when he won the vacant lightweight belt after knocking out Brazilian Charles Oliveira in just 2 minutes and 27 seconds of the first round in Las Vegas.
Before that triumph, Topuria had already made history by becoming the first UFC champion of Spanish nationality, defeating Australian Alexander Volkanovski in February 2024 and winning the featherweight title.
Pereira will seek another historic title
The co-main event also promises great expectations. Brazilian Alex Pereira will face Frenchman Cyril Gane for the interim heavyweight belt.
Pereira will try to become champion of a third different division within the UFC, which would mark another milestone for the organization.
Trump and the UFC, a close relationship
President Donald Trump is a renowned fan of combat sports and maintains a close relationship with UFC president Dana White.
Since his return to the presidency in 2025, Trump has regularly attended UFC events, a passion he has carried for years. Throughout his career he has also been seen on multiple occasions alongside boxing and entertainment figures such as Mike Tyson and Hulk Hogan.
In addition to this historic evening, the US government also announced an urban race managed by IndyCar in Washington between August 21 and 23 as part of the country’s anniversary celebrations.
Topuria promotes the rise of MMA in Spain
Topuria’s fights generate enormous expectation in Spain, a country where he arrived with his family in 2012 and where his success has contributed to the growth of mixed martial arts.
Born in the German city of Halle in 1997 and of Georgian origin, the fighter has become one of the most media figures of the UFC and a benchmark in Spanish sport.
The evening of June 14 promises to be one of the most media events in the history of the organization and could further consolidate the global phenomenon that Ilia Topuria represents.
