Everything leading up to the UFC White House event has already been bizarre. Friday’s kickoff press conference in Newark only made things stranger, as lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and heavyweight contender Josh Hokit nearly got into a fight on stage.
Hokit, known for his variety of outspoken gimmicks, took the mic as he always does and hurled verbal jabs at anyone in sight. Set to take on Derrick Lewis on June 14 on the White House lawn, Hokit could inch closer to a future high-profile matchup with either Alex Pereira or Ciryl Gane with a win; Pereira and Gane are set to battle for an interim UFC heavyweight belt in the UFC Freedom 250 co-main event.
With a stoic Sean O’Malley seated between Hokit and Pereira, Hokit began to belittle the former two-division champion before Topuria heard enough and stood up, escalating tensions and even throwing something at Hokit before security removed the brash American heavyweight from the stage and ended the press conference.
"He speaks English, but says 'Chama.' F*** you, you little b****,' Hokit said to Pereira and Topuria.
"I am the real BMF belt, little, short midget. F*** you. Come up to a real man. I'll give it to anybody. I don't give a f***. [Pereira,] you have your boyfriend speaking for you? … You shouldn't find your wife in Miami."
Openweight fights aren’t an option in modern-day UFC, so a matchup between Topuria and Hokit will have to be left to the video game world.
For Topuria, he’ll headline the UFC White House card against the 155-pound interim champion Justin Gaethje. Earlier in the week, however, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that top-ranked contender Arman Tsarukyan will officially be waiting in the wings as the event’s backup fighter should his services be needed.
The opponent makes no difference to the champ.
"One thing I know for a fact is [Gaethje] never fought someone like me,” Topuria said. “The only thing I want from Justin is for him to show up, and I'm going to do the rest.
"I don't care who I'm going to have in front [of me] on June 14. I'm going to break his jaw in the first minute — whether it's Arman or Justin."
In the aforementioned interim heavyweight title fight, Pereira was once again a massive fan-favorite among the New Jersey fans. His opponent Gane? Not so much.
A win for Pereira, even for an interim title, would make history. It would be a third divisional championship for “Poatan” after he previously claimed the middleweight belt and light heavyweight belt (twice).
“The work has been shown,” Pereira said. “The reason I’m here is because of the work and effort we put in as a reward for everything that I’ve done. And now, an opportunity to turn that into a third belt. That is historic. That is something that inspires people, because I come from a life of challenges. I have a very beautiful story to show, and for someone like me to accomplish that and make history, it would inspire people as well.
“I was always prepared for heavyweight. I’ve been an athlete, ready to go, and I’m prepared for this.”
