Khamzat Chimaev releases cryptic statement following UFC 328 defeat

Khamzat Chimaev's future remains uncertain after UFC 328. | Getty/UFC

Khamzat Chimaev was a man of few words following his upset loss to Sean Strickland in the UFC 328 main event.

After relinquishing the middleweight title in a split-decision defeat on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Chimaev exited the Octagon without doing the post-fight interview that is typical of main event competitors. While “Borz” didn’t speak in the immediate aftermath of his first career loss, he did release a statement on social media implying that he might not be done in the middleweight division.

“[Sean Strickland] see you soon again,” Chimaev wrote on X.

@SStricklandMMA see you soon again 🫡

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) May 10, 2026 Moving on Up? Chimaev and Strickland are former training partners, so it’s possible that the Chechen standout could be referencing a future sparring session rather than a title rematch. C…
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Baisangur Susurkaev reveals he rarely trains submissions

Khamzat Chimaev’s teammate, Baisangur Susurkaev, pulled off a win at UFC 328 with a move he barely trains. 

Susurkaev took on Djorden Santos in a middleweight matchup on the UFC 328 prelims on Saturday. While Susurkaev mostly outclassed Santos on the feet, the tough Brazilian also returned fire. Susurkaev finally took Santos down and put him to sleep with a rear-naked choke in the third round. 

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  Susurkaev surprisingly revealed that submissions aren’t usually a part of his arsenal. The undefeated Chechnyan claims he is never able to pull off submissions in the gym, although he tries sometimes. Susurkaev also leaves his teammates surprised whenever he tries doing something in the grappling department. “Hunter” believes the unexpected moves come out from deep inside him when he is scared.Relying on Instinct “I never train submissions in the gym,” Susurkaev said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “I try sometimes but I can’t. I don’t …
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Jim Miller targets 2027 for 50th fight, UFC farewell

Jim Miller is excited about the night he will call it a career. 

Miller took on Jared Gordon in a lightweight matchup at UFC 328 on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Miller locked in a guillotine choke, forcing Gordon (21-9) to tap in the very first round. Miller extended his record for the most fights in UFC history (47), most wins in UFC history (28), and most guillotine submissions in UFC history (6). This also marked the 20th UFC finish for the 42-year-old, putting him just behind Charles Oliveira (21) for the most finishes in the history of the promotion. 

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The Quest for 50 Miller (39-19) wants to achieve the record of 50 UFC fights. “A-10” hopes to fight once more in 2026, reach his aim of 50 UFC fights by 2027, and hang up his gloves. Miller reveals that he is even excited about the night he will finally leave his gloves inside the Octagon and doesn’t want anything to take away from that moment.

“Another one t…

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Yaroslav Amosov dreams of future five-round fight with ‘much blood’ in UFC

Yaroslav Amosov wants an absolute war inside the Octagon. 

Amosov (30-1) made his sophomore UFC appearance against Joel Alvarez at UFC 328 on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Amosov looked nearly flawless as he dominated Alvarez on the ground before making him tap with an arm-triangle in the second round. 

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Amosov admits that it is always good to finish a fight instead of going the distance. However, the former Bellator MMA welterweight champion also dreams of having a five-round bloodbath inside the Octagon where he is tested to his limits.

“If can do knockout or submission, finish it, it’s of course much better than full fight,” Amosov said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “But sometimes, my dream – full fight, five rounds, hard fight, bones to bones. Much blood. Hard, very close fight.” 

Looking Ahead Amosov dominated Bellator’s welterweight division before suffering his lone professional loss aga…
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Ateba Gautier wants to face ex-champ following UFC 328 victory

Ateba Abega Gautier is aiming high for his next fight. 

Gautier faced Osman Diaz in a middleweight matchup at UFC 328 on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. While Diaz managed to defend himself in the first round, Gautier knocked him out with a right hand early in the second round. Gautier says he was prepared to go the distance and was in no rush to finish the fight. “The Silent Assassin” claims he wasn’t even looking for the knockout when it came.

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“I went to the cage thinking, ‘I’m going for 15 minutes,’” Gautier said in a post-fight interview witht the UFC. “If he hangs up before 15, it’s fine, but if he doesn’t hang up, it’s OK… I didn’t even try to knock him out. It just comes naturally.”

Gautier called out Israel Adesanya after his win over Diaz. Gautier explains that he is a huge fan of Adesanya and considers the former champ a legend. While Gautier admires Adesanya, the Cameroonian wants to test himself against “The…

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Josh Hokit, Paulo Costa have altercation at UFC 328

Josh Hokit and Paulo Costa have seemingly not buried the hatchet. 

Hokit (9-0) and Costa (16-4) were both in attendance at UFC 328 on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Things got heated between the two as they came head-to-head. However, security personnel intervened before things could escalate. 

Hokit has been attracting the attention of many, including Costa, with his unabashed trash talk. Both fighters fought on the UFC 327 card last month. While Hokit defeated Curtis Blaydes in the “Fight of the Night,” Costa handed Azamat Murzakanov his first professional loss. Hokit was immediately booked against Derrick Lewis for UFC White House on June 14. 

However, Costa subsequently offered to replace Lewis against Hokit. Hokit and Lewis appeared to have briefly resolved their beef as they shared a laugh over an Instagram post. While the rivalry has seemingly not settled, it doesn’t seem there are any serious hard feelings between…

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King Green calls out Renato ‘Moicano’ after UFC 328 win

King Green is eyeing Renato "Moicano" Carneiro after his UFC 328 win.

Green opened the UFC 328 main card action against fellow veteran Jeremy Stephens on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Green took Stephens down and made him tap with a rear-naked choke late in the first round. Stephens had missed the lightweight limit by four pounds, forfeiting nearly 30% of his purse to Green.

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Calling His Shot Green subsequently called for a matchup against “Money Moicano,” who allegedly called him old. The 39-year-old vows to hand Carneiro a “grandpa ass whooping.”

“I know ‘Moicano’ was calling me the old man,” Green told Megan Olivi. “So I was like, ‘Maybe he wants to fight. Who is he calling old? I’ll give you a grandpa ass whooping. So if he wants to fight, if he wants a name, I’m the name for you, brother.”  

Green (35-17) is currently riding a three-fight winning streak with two finishes. Meanwhile, Carneiro (21-7) scor…

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Luiz Gustavo knocks out Ilhom Nazimov to win lightweight title at Rizin 53

Luiz Gustavo captured Rizin lightweight gold on Sunday. | Rizin FF

After close to eight years on the roster, Luiz Gustavo’s dream of becoming a Rizin Fighting Federation world champion was at last realized on Sunday at Rizin 53in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan. Gustavo brutally knocked out Ilhom Nazimov in the first round to become the new Rizin lightweight champion in his 12th fight for the promotion.

Gustavo (16-4, 8-4 Rizin), who challenged unsuccessfully for the Rizin lightweight strap in September 2024, made the most of his second chance and handed Nazimov (13-4, 4-1 Rizin) his first defeat under the Rizin banner. Early on, Nazimov cut off the ring very well and prevented Gustavo from using any lateral movement. Nazimov landed two spinning back kicks to Gustavo’s upper body and seemed to be comfortable in the striking exchanges. That changed soon after, however, as Gustavo landed a thunderous right hook that sent Nazimov crashing to the mat. Gustavo immediately pounc…

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UFC 328 ‘Chimaev vs. Strickland’ play-by-play, results & round scoring

Sherdog's live UFC 328 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Ochoa (-180), Carpenter (+150)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Susurkaev (-625), Santos (+455)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTI…
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Muhammad Mokaev removed from MVP’s Netflix card due to visa issues

Most Valuable Promotions’ first MMA card has taken a hit one week before the event.

The promotion on Saturday announced that Muhammad Mokaev has been pulled from his proposed bout against Adriano Moraes due to “visa delays.” As a result, Phumi Nkuta will step in and face Moraes in a 130-pound catchweight matchup.

Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" takes place on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles and is headlined by a five-round, featherweight clash pitting Ronda Rousey against Gina Carano. The main card airs on Netflix beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The prelims, which include Moraes vs. Nkuta, kick off at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on MVP’s YouTube channel.Unbeaten and Experienced A native of Johannesburg, South Africa, Nkuta will take an 11-0 professional mark into the showdown against Moraes. The 30-year-old known as “Turbo” last appeared at Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat 34 on March 27, when he took a unanimous verdict over Namiki Kawahara. Nkuta is a former …
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Justin Gaethje ranks Ilia Topuria as second-toughest matchup of career

Justin Gaethje believes he has faced a tougher opponent than Ilia Topuria. 

Gaethje (27-5) will try to unify the title against the champion Topuria (17-0) at UFC White House on June 14. Topuria is currently on murderous streak with knockouts over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira. However, Gaethje has made a career out of fighting lightweight legends. Gaethje believes he has faced a tougher opponent than Topuria in Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, Gaethje gives Topuria his flowers for his knockout streak.

“I think he is my second toughest test ever, next to Khabib,” Gaethje said at the UFC White House press conference. “But yeah, those three knockouts: Volkanovski, Holloway, Oliveira — legendary. So it’s just gonna make this win that much more spectacular.” 

Putting It All on the Line Gaethje was also the interim champion when he made his first title bid against Nurmagomedov in 2020, suffering a second-round submission loss. “The Highl…
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Conor McGregor reacts to UFC White House press conference

Conor McGregor believes fighters are still trying to copy him on the mic. 

While there have been others like Chael Sonnen before McGregor, “Notorious” undoubtedly took the sport to new heights with his mic skills, which were backed up by his performances inside the Octagon. Many fighters have since realized the importance of mic skills and have been trying to capitalize on them. 

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UFC Freedom 250 is a one-of-a-kind card scheduled for June 14 at the White House. A pre-fight press conference for the card was held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Friday, ahead of the UFC 328 ceremonial weigh-ins. The card features UFC’s latest trash-talking sensation, Josh Hokit, against Derrick Lewis. Hokit didn’t miss his chance in the limelight, going all out against Lewis, Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria. McGregor saw multiple “spin-offs” of himself at the Freedom Fights 250 press conference.The Sincerest Form of Flattery “McG spin offs all…
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Steve Erceg names potential opponents after UFC Perth win

Steve Erceg is eyeing two very stylistically different opponents for his next fight. 

Erceg is coming off a unanimous decision win over Tim Elliott at UFC Perth earlier this month. “Astro Boy” has been watching suggestions about his next potential opponents. Amir Albazi and Brandon Royval are two of the most suggested names for Erceg, which makes sense to the Australian. Erceg notes that Albazi and Royval are two stylistically different matchups but he is willing to face either.

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Ready and Willing “I have watching and looking up posts of who people think I should fight,” Erceg told heavywgtMMA. “Two that were brought up were Amir Albazi and Brandon Royval. I think they are both coming off losses but they are ranked ahead of me. So I think it would be a good time to meet either one of them. They are obviously two very different fighters. Meet up and let’s have a crash.”  

Erceg (14-4) went on a three-fight slump starting with his failed…

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Former bantamweight champion set to return at UFC 329

Cody Garbrandt edged Long Xiao at UFC 326. | Getty/UFC

A bantamweight pairing has been added to UFC 329 that has all the makings of a potential banger. 

Cody Garbrandt will face Adrian Yanez at UFC 329 on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. MMAFighting.com was first to report the bout.

Back in the Win Column Garbrandt (15-7) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Long Xiao in a bout he was essentially losing. The scorecards turned in favor of Garbrandt as Xiao was penalized with two points due to three low blows. The win saw Garbrandt rebound from losses to Deiveson Figueiredo and Raoni Barcelos. 

Meanwhile, Yanez (17-6) fought Ricky Simon to a majority draw this past March. Yanez has only won once in his past five outings, a knockout victory over Vinicius Salvador in 2024. 

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Kangjie Zhu sees change of opponent at UFC Macau

Kangjie Zhu won’t face Ramon Taveras at UFC Macau. 

Zhu and Taveras were set to trade leather in a featherweight tilt at UFC Fight Night 277 on May 30 at the Galaxy Arena in Macau, China. However, Taveras is now out of the booking due to unknown reasons. Taveras will be replaced by Rodrigo Vera, who steps in on three weeks’ notice. Vera’s management, Iridium Sports Agency, was first to announce the new booking.

Riding a five-fight winning streak, Kangjie (21-4) makes his debut in his homeland after winning the Road to UFC Season 3 featherweight tournament last year. Meanwhile, fellow debutant Vera (21-1) is also making waves on the regional circuit. The Peruvian is undefeated in 13 straight bouts since 2020. 

Prospects Collide

🚨 We’re very pleased & excited to announce that #TeamIridium’s @rodrigovera3 (21-1-1) is taking his talents to the @ufc & will make his highly anticipated Octagon premiere at #UFCMacau 📃🖊 #…

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Ilia Topuria stands up for ‘Poatan’ against Josh Hokit’s insults

The scenes were wild at the UFC White House pre-fight press conference. 

Josh Hokit went on an unprovoked tirade against Alex Pereira at the event. Known for cutting WWE-esque promos, Hokit might have crossed a line in this instance.

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“Alex gained some weight and now he thinks he is King Kong,” Hokit said. “But his girl said the steroids killed his ding dong. I'm gonna Chama on yo mama. This guy is the baddest man on the planet? Look how I speak to him, like my dog, like my bitch. F—k you.”Keeping CoolPereira didn’t think it was necessary to respond to Hokit with the same intensity. “Poatan” instead detailed their interaction earlier in the day. “I have nothing to say about this guy,” Pereira said. “We were giving an interview earlier today, this guy just goes right by me, starts saying things. I looked at him in his eye and said, ‘Chama.’”

Ilia Topuria, who was sitting next to Pereira, then said that the Brazilian doesn’t need to respond to H…

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Bryce Mitchell accuses Khamzat Chimaev of missing weight ahead of UFC 328

Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC 328 weigh-in will always be marred by controversy. 

Chimaev is scheduled to defend his middleweight title against Sean Strickland at UFC 328 on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. While making weight was a major issue for Chimaev at welterweight, that issue was apparently addressed with his move up to middleweight in 2022. 

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However, Chimaev appeared extremely drained while weighing in for UFC 328. While Chimaev officially made weight, the weigh-in was controversial. Chimaev stepped on the scale only for a few moments before the officials called 185 — even before the scale settled. Hawk-eyed fans didn't fail to notice the hurried weigh-in for the middleweight champion. 

UFC bantamweight Bryce Mitchell also accused Chimaev of missing weight. While Mitchell didn’t directly accuse the UFC, he is certain that “Borz” didn’t make weight. According to “Thug Nasty” Chimaev gets preferential treatment…

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Josh Hokit responds to Sean Strickland’s criticism: ‘Can you really not see yourself?’

Josh Hokit and Sean Strickland can seemingly criticize each other without much animosity.

Hokit and Strickland are both known for crossing boundaries with their trash talk. Hokit recently went off on multiple fighters during the UFC White House presser in Newark, New Jersey. Strickland, who has recently been critical of Hokit’s trash talk, doubled down on it.

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“This is wild coming from me but Josh goes way too far,” Strickland wrote on X. “Chandler’s wife, Ilia Topuria ex...I know it’s the WWE thing but its too much.”

This is wild coming from me but Josh goes way too far. Chandlers wife, Ilia Topuria ex...I know its the WWE thing but its too much.

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) May 8, 2026 Looking for Common Ground Despite the criticism, Hokit didn’t show much hostility towards Strickland. “The Incredible Hok” merely reminded Strickland that he often crosses boundaries with his own trash talk. Hokit, who sports the s…
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UFC President Dana White grilled about slapping wife in 2022

Ultimate Fighting Championship head Dana White had few answers for his actions a couple years ago.

At a New Year’s Eve celebration in Mexico at the end of 2022, White was filmed slapping his wife in the midst of a physical altercation. As seen in the video, he appeared to grab wife, Anne, by the wrist, and she struck him in the face. He responded by slapping her back, before others intervened. White received no public punishment from his organization, and no charges were filed.

White and his wife both explained later that alcohol played a factor into tensions escalating between them, resulting in them slapping one another. After regularly declaring that “there is never an excuse for a man to put his hands on a woman,” he did so and did not receive any notable consequences. White suggested that the stigma of him doing so was his punishment, that he would always been known as a man who struck his wife.Rules for thee, not for me Appearing on a recent episode of “The Break…
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Dana White indicates Conor McGregor will return to fight in summer 2026

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Conor McGregor is coming back soon.

Ultimate Fighting Championship star McGregor has often been a subject for discussion since his last fight in July 2021 when Dustin Poirier broke his leg in their trilogy match. Regularly injecting himself into championship conversations, keeping himself in the news by floating things like vying for the middleweight belt, he has been regularly asked about by fans and media members alike.

On Thursday, UFC chief Dana White appeared on “The Jim Rome Show,” where he spoke about McGregor’s future with the promotion. White explained upfront that the relationship between McGregor and the company is indeed in a good place. He further noted that the comeback for the Irishman, who will turn 38 in July, is in the works. McGregor himself often posts photos and videos of his training to get in shape for his next match.The cure for the summertime bluesIf what White says comes to fruition, McGregor could be …
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UFC 328 weigh-in results: Title fights set; 1 fighter 4 pounds over

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship's biggest grudge match of 2026 is now official after the UFC 328 weigh-ins.

UFC middleweight king Khamzat Chimaev and challenger Sean Strickland have had a war of words in the lead-up to their five-round fight, and it's clear no love has been lost. However, both men were pure professionals when it came to making weight for the UFC 328 main event, as both came in under the 185-pound championship limit. Meanwhile, flyweight champion Joshua Van and challenger Tatsuro Taira both weighed 125 pounds on the dot for their co-main event fight. In total, 13 fights are now set after all fighters made weight with the exception of Jeremy Stephens, who came in four pounds over the lightweight limit for his fight against King Green and will be fined 30% of his purse as a result.

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The undefeated Chimaev (15-0) will look to make his first championship defense against his one-time training partner. "Borz" is coming…
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UFC brass dismisses card quality concerns: ‘We don’t buy it’

When looking solely at the revenue statements, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is bigger and badder than ever.

During a TKO-run financial call on Wednesday, TKO Group Holdings President Mark Shapiro shrugged off any concerns that fans and media have raised lately about the quality of its events. All across social media, fans have lambasted the UFC’s matchmaking and card creation decisions this year since the Paramount deal came into play. The claims of fewer ranked combatants on the billing, a smaller number of championship pairings and more fights with athletes on long losing streaks have plagued the promotion as of late.

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Prior to UFC 328 on Saturday, the promotion has only run three championship bouts this year: Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett, Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes 2 and Carlos Ulberg vs. Jiri Prochazka. Four more are on the books through June, with two of those at UFC 328 and the other two at the UFC White House event.

As …

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Exorbitant cost of ‘partner investment’ revealed for UFC White House event

Before you read how much it will cost some to attend the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s White House show, you might want to be sitting down.

At the UFC White House card on June 14, approximately 4,000 to 4,500 individuals will be able to attend in the newly constructed arena built for this event alone. It will be held on the White House lawn, with stands for seating and a giant framework overhead for lighting and possibly rain protection in the event of inclement weather. Some have hailed the structure, which was seen being put together in Pennsylvania, as something reminiscent of a roller coaster.

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The promotion has said it will be spending around $30 million of its own money to run this event, reportedly without assistance from the government. Public seating will not be available, although there will be limited opportunities for fans to win contests and earn tickets. Otherwise, those seats will be specifically sold by the UFC in conjunction with …
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UFC unveils ‘Freedom 250’ belt for UFC White House championship victors

The four men at the top of the Ultimate Fighting Championship White House card billing can win a two-of-a-kind prize.

On Wednesday, the promotion brought the four headliners of the UFC White House event to the White House for some staredowns, interviews and meet-and-greets with the president. President Donald Trump showed off mockup images of the arena that will be constructed specifically for the event. Additionally, he revealed that there will be custom belts up for grabs.

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Atop the billing is a unified lightweight championship pairing between Georgian champ Ilia Topuria and American interim titleholder Justin Gaethje. In the co-main attraction, Brazilian former two-division champion Alex Pereira will move up to challenge French ex-interim titlist Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight strap. All four men were in attendance clad in suits for the big day. Per the reveals, both newly crowned champions will be taking home a specially created gold be…
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