Topuria shoves Gaethje at Lincoln Memorial faceoff as UFC White House card tensions erupt

Ilia Topuria shoved Justin Gaethje just seconds into their faceoff at the UFC White House pre-fight press conference on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Friday, prompting UFC CEO Dana White to immediately step between the two fighters. White was heard saying he was not ready for that, and he refused to allow the pair to square off again after the incident.

Gaethje, the interim lightweight champion, kept his composure and turned the moment into a public rebuke of Topuria. “You want to act like a f*cking animal?” Gaethje shouted. “Like an emotional little animal.”

Topuria, who holds two UFC titles heading into Sunday’s card, was unapologetic. Holding up his belts, he fired back: “It’s mine boy. It looks much better on me.”

The shove marked a sharp escalation in what had been a relatively measured build-up between two fighters widely respected within the sport. The setting — one of the most high-profile press conferences in UFC history — only amplified the moment, with Gaethje pointedly calling out Topuria for the timing of the outburst.

Elsewhere on stage, light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira drew the loudest ovation of the event during his faceoff with Ciryl Gane. Pereira held up two title belts and shouted his signature “Chama!” before leaving the stage. Sean O’Malley also used his faceoff with Aiemann Zahabi to promise a knockout ahead of their bout on Sunday.