The fallout over the UFC’s less than spectacular America 250 event at the White House continues, with reports that a bigger, better card was planned, only for multiple issues to derail it at the last minute.
But unlike the mythical ‘real last episode of Stranger Things,’ there’s truth to this ‘real main event of the UFC White House card’ that fell out at the last minute, prompting UFC brass to scramble and book Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje for the unified lightweight title. But what was that real main event?
On Sunday, rumors started swirling that it was Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria, but Dana White denied that following a Zuffa Boxing event.
“That’s not true,” White said. “That is true [that Gaethje was added last-second]. It was never Islam versus Topuria. Don’t worry about what fights are being made. We announced which ones are made and which ones will be happening.”
White also said that a widely viewed video of Hunter Campbell and UFC matchmakers reacting to some negative news during Friday’s UFC 326 weigh-ins was not the moment the fight fell out.
“I told you there were some weird circumstances,” White said. “The reason that fight fell out — and it wasn’t up on stage with Mick [Maynard], Hunter [Campbell] and Sean [Shelby], it was at Power Slap that the fight fell apart, and all the boys went back to the office and were there until literally 9 in the morning and that’s how Gaethje ended up on the card.”
“Topuria wasn’t originally supposed to be on the card either, so he got the call, too.”
White remained tight-lipped about what Freedom 250 fight did fall out, but did add that Islam Makhachev was injured.
“He’s got some hand issues, I know that,” White said. “I don’t know how serious the hand issues are or how long that will keep him out but he’s injured.”
We’re not too sure what the point of keeping this aborted fight secret is, other than maybe the UFC trying to rebook it soon, or it being so good that it casts a shadow over what we ended up getting. It’s a bit too late for that second part, given the reactions we’ve seen to the UFC White House card.
There may be a day in the coming weeks where we can look at the Freedom 250 card and appreciate what it is, but today is not that day.
