UFC Freedom 250 Press Conference Friday at Lincoln
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- UFC holds the Freedom 250 pre-fight press conference Friday, June 12 at 8:15 p.m. ET at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., streaming live on Paramount+ and the official UFC YouTube channel.
- Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje headline Sunday's card with the lightweight title unifier, with Topuria telling CBS Sports he won't stay quiet after Gaethje's team "crossed the line" with personal remarks about his family.
- Alex Pereira meets Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title, while Pereira's would-be opponent Josh Hokit was physically ejected from an earlier fighter press conference after comments about Pereira's mom.
- Topuria responded to those Hokit remarks by hurling a water bottle at the heavyweight contender, who competes four weight divisions above him.
- Former bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley returns against rising contender Aiemann Zahabi on the same card.
- The undercard slate also includes Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler, Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus, and featherweight opener Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia.
Why it matters: The Topuria-Gaethje lightweight unifier is being framed as the biggest spectacle in UFC history, and the family-based insults have already turned the buildup hostile before a single punch is thrown — with 14 fighters set to share a stage at the Lincoln Memorial on Friday.
