This game was once played by Sen. John McCain says “cockfighting” is about to take over the South Lawn of the White House on Flag Day.
This 30-year journey from a poorly regulated bloodsport to a multi-billion dollar franchise culminates in the biggest spectacle in mixed martial arts history with UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday night.
The one-of-a-kind event went with the strongest fights – seven, there are 12 to 14 scheduled dozen or so events each year. That means only 14 men will have the distinction of competing in professional wrestling matches at the home of the President of the United States.
“This is a great opportunity, so I feel blessed,” Bo Nickal, the middleweight who will face Kyle Daukaus, told The Post this week. “Being able to compete in an event like this is an honor, so I feel like I put a lot of effort into this. [training] and I want to make sure I do well.”
This event is hosted by champion battles. Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje will fight for the unification championship at 155 pounds in the main event. Shortly before that, Alex Pereira and Cyril Gane square off for the vacant heavyweight crown.
Of the four, only Gaethje is American born and raised. He is one of eight US representatives, and the crowd of mostly military members serves as an added incentive for the big-hitting crowd pleaser from Colorado.
“The way I fight, people love it,” Gaethje told The Post before the fight. “I really understand people’s feelings, and I will do the same [in] this war.
“Fighting in front of the military is very important to me. I always use my name to try … to raise more money and have a positive opinion and impact on people who sacrifice their well-being for my opportunity to do something like this.”
Overjoyed to compete on a unique stage, with the front columns of the White House as a backdrop, others like Michael Chandler do their best to focus on the job at hand. In his case, that’s knocking out lightweight rival Mauricio Ruffy before the same can be done to him.
“It’s really cool. It’s one of those deals where I try not to think about it too much and think about the enormity, the enormity, the weight of the moment because you can put this whole thing out of your mind and the moment is so big,” Chandler told The Post. “Finally, I put on four ounce gloves, got a mouthpiece, and we’re in the Octagon, like I’ve done seven times in the UFC.”
The six fighters on the fight card from across US borders still feel the weight of that moment, including one of their all-time greats.
Pereira, a native of Brazil, is the first fighter in UFC history to even try for a thirdweight title, having held the middleweight and light heavyweight belts before making his first attempt at heavyweight.
After moving to Connecticut to train, his family now calls the US home, and he has been grateful for the opportunities the country has given him – including a visit to President Trump in the Oval Office last month.
“It’s very important to be there, to be around the president,” Pereira told The Post through an interpreter the next day. “… How many fighters wanted to be there, and I was one of the few people who had the opportunity to be a part of it.”
