Video: UFC White House press conference staredowns

TL;DR

The UFC held a press conference for UFC Freedom 250 in Newark, New Jersey, featuring all 14 fighters scheduled for the event. Notably, Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje faced off, while Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane had a more intense staredown.

Key points

UFC Freedom 250 is five weeks away.
The press conference featured all 14 fighters on the card.
Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje had a good-natured faceoff.
Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane had a more intense staredown.
The event is expected to be one of the biggest in UFC history.

Mentioned in this story

Newark, New JerseyUFC

Ilia TopuriaJustin GaethjeAlex PereiraCiryl Gane

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 08: (L-R) Opponents Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje face off during the UFC Freedom 250 press conference at Prudential Center on May 08, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

The UFC White House event is just five weeks away, and all the fighters involved are ready to go.

On Friday, the UFC held its first press conference for the event ahead of the ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC 328. Dubbed UFC Freedom 250, the event figures to be one of the biggest in the history of the promotion, and as such, the promotion brought all 14 fighters scheduled for the card to the press conference, with 12 of them facing off after the event.

Earlier in the week, the main and co-main event fighters faced off for the first time, doing so on the White House lawn, but all four fighters did so again following the press conference on Friday, with Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje sharing a good-natured faceoff, while Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane had a respectful yet distant staredown.

The rest of the UFC White House card was also scheduled to face off following the presser, but that changed slightly, as Hokit got ejected during the event for nearly getting into an altercation with Topuria. As a result, he and Derrick Lewis did not face off, but the other eight fighters on the card did, without any issues.

You can view the full UFC White House press conference face-offs above.

UFC White House takes place on June 14 on the White House lawn.

Q&A

What is UFC Freedom 250 and when is it scheduled?

UFC Freedom 250 is a major event scheduled to take place five weeks after the press conference held on May 8, 2026.

Who are the main fighters facing off at UFC Freedom 250?

The main fighters include Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje, Alex Pereira, and Ciryl Gane, who all participated in the press conference and staredowns.

Where was the UFC Freedom 250 press conference held?

The press conference for UFC Freedom 250 was held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.