Every UFC Freedom 250 fighter, including Alex Pereira and Josh Hokit, will visit the Lincoln Memorial for Friday’s press conference
Jun 12, 2026
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7:30 pm ET
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1 min read
The UFC Freedom 250 stars are headed to the Lincoln Memorial. Every athlete competing on Sunday’s monumental card will take part in a pre-fight press conference on Friday at the historic site
Tensions are flaring in the lead-up to what many are calling the biggest spectacle in UFC’s history. The lightweight title unifier between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje took a dramatic turn this week as the subject of family gave their feud an ugly hue. Friday’s press conference marks the first time they’ll address each other in person since the tension picked up.
“If you want to be disrespectful to me, I’m not going to stay quiet. I’m not that kind of person,” Topuria told CBS Sports about the increasingly hostile rivalry with Gaethje’s team. “They were the ones who started to cross the line.”
Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane fight for the interim heavyweight title, but “Poatan” will have a hard time trying to ignore a loud presence on the card. Heavyweight contender Josh Hokit was physically removed from an earlier press conference setting with all of the fighters after remarks about Pereira’s mom. Pereira refuses to acknowledge Hokit’s existence. Fortunately, Topuria has that covered. Topuria was so incensed about the remarks that he tried to pick a fight with Hokit, who competes four divisions above him, hurling a water bottle at his head.
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Plus, former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley returns to take on rising contender Aiemann Zahabi. Rising lightweight contender Mauricio Ruffy hopes to keep rolling against veteran Michael Chandler. Rising middleweight prospect Bo Nickal looks to take the next step up in his rise when he takes on veteran Kyle Daukaus. And featherweight sluggers meet in the opener when Diego Lopes battles Steve Garcia.
Friday’s press conference will stream live on Paramount+ and the official UFC YouTube channel.
Where to watch UFC Freedom 250 press conference
Date: Friday, June 12
Location: Lincoln Memorial — Washington, D.C.
Start time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Watch live: YouTube and Paramount+
