Ilia Topuria is set to defend his lightweight championship against Justin Gaethje in the headline bout of the upcoming UFC White House event. Alex Pereira will step up to the heavyweight division to face Ciryl Gane for the interim title on June 14, while current champion Tom Aspinall is on the sidelines recovering from eye surgery. Notably, Conor McGregor will not be part of this card as he prepares to make his return to action in July.
The fight card also includes Michael Chandler taking on Mauricio Ruffy and former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley squaring off against Aiemann Zahabi. Completing the six-fight lineup are matchups between Bo Nickal and Kyle Daukaus, and Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia.
UFC CEO Dana White expressed excitement about the event, highlighting the competitive matchups and the effort put into finalizing the fight card. White hinted at the possibility of Pereira challenging Aspinall for the heavyweight title depending on the outcome of his bout with Gane.
The announcement confirmed that Jon Jones will not be making a swift return to the octagon, dispelling rumors of a potential matchup with Pereira following the Brazilian’s decision to move up a weight class and vacate his light-heavyweight belt.
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