Spanish-Georgian UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria said he “appreciates” Americans supporting and valuing fighters’ talents, ahead of his UFC Freedom 250 match on the White House grounds in June.
The first-of-its-kind match was organized by UFC CEO Dana White to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary and airs exclusively on Paramount+.
“What I enjoy the most is — that I appreciate the most here in America is that they really value the talent and they support them,” Topuria said on Fox News’s Gutfeld!. “They appreciate them. And it feels great. It helps you to develop your full potential. And this is the part that I like the most.”
Two championship matches are slated for the June 14 fight card, with Topuria facing off against American interim champion Justin Gaethje and Brazil’s Alex Pereira against France’s Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight title.
There are four other fights slated before the championship matches, starting at 4 p.m., according to the fight card the UFC announced in March.
The event, which falls on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, comes after Trump expressed interest last summer in staging a UFC match on the White House grounds to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Topuria said he heard about the event in September but was unsure that it would become a reality.
“When I first heard about it, I was like, maybe they’re not going to make it happen,” he said. “But with time, I was seeing that they are starting to develop the whole event and all that.”
Topuria, who is undefeated with a 17-0 record, recalled finding out he had been selected for the match.
“Finally, I got the call three months ago, two months ago, something like that, and they told me, you’re going to be part of the event. I was like, ‘Thank you very much,’” he said.
White told Fox News on Sunday that a temporary arena will be built to hold 4,300 spectators, adding that the president, who is an avid fan, wants most of those tickets given to military personnel.
The UFC boss also mentioned organizers will give away 85,000 tickets to fans to watch the fights from the Ellipse, where they will set up huge screens, stages, and music.
But details about how to acquire the free tickets at the Ellipse have not yet been released.
UFC BUILDS MASSIVE ‘CLAW’ STAGE FOR WHITE HOUSE FIGHT: ‘OUT OF A MOVIE’
As more details about the event emerge, Topuria revealed the fighters will be walking out to the Octagon from the Oval Office.
“We are going to do our warm-ups and all that in the Oval Office, and we are going to walk out from that,” Topuria said. “This is what I heard.”
This will be the first time Topuria faces off against Gaethje.