UFC Freedom 250 LIVE: Start time, card, what channel, fight updates and results from White House

Dana White abruptly ended Friday’s press conference after Hokit insulted Ilia Topuria over the Spanish-Georgian’s recent divorce.

It was the second mention of that personal matter this week, after Justin Gaethje hinted at it in an interview.

“What an annoying little b*****d,” said Gaethje of Topuria, whom he fights tonight. “I couldn’t imagine being in a room with him for 30 minutes, listening to him talk about himself.

“And I can say this: I would leave him. That’s all I’m saying: I would leave him. No way I would put up with his s***.”

Topuria fired back on X: “Justin crossed a line. What happened between my ex-wife and me is our business. We may no longer be together, but she is the mother of my daughter.”

This evening’s fight card will now begin at 2am BST on Monday, which is 6pm PT / 8pm CT / 9pm ET tonight.

However, the broadcast will still start at 1am BST / 5pm PT / 7pm CT / 8pm ET.

The original plan was for the fights to get going at the earlier of those times.

Josh Hokit stole the show at the Saturday morning weigh-in, having done the same at Friday’s press conference.

On Friday evening, fighters shared a stage in front of the Lincoln Memorial, with Hokit chiming in at every opportunity – regardless of who had been asked a question.

And on Saturday morning, as the fighters weighed in before a crowd of media personnel, Hokit seemingly pretended to throw up, as he dribbled a sick-coloured liquid from his mouth.

“So what? Maybe I was drinking last night,” the American heavyweight told those in the room. “Who wouldn’t be?

“I’ve got a giant man who wants to knock me out. He has the most knockouts in UFC history,” Hokit added, referencing his opponent Derrick Lewis.

Mr Trump’s close friend Dana White, the UFC’s president and CEO, has said that TV-production awards should be abolished altogether if this event wins none.

It’s hyperbole, of course, to which White is more than prone, but it’s also curious because of how starkly it stands in contrast to the UFC’s weekly product.

After a chorus of boos at the NBA finals, the president now has form for disruptive big-game appearances, with similar moments at the Ryder Cup and US Open last year.

But Trump can now watch his friend Dana White’s event from his own back garden, far from detractors…

A federal judge rejected a request for an injunction to block the Trump administration from holding tonight’s fight event.

The lawsuit was filed by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two civic activists, who accused the administration of a “deeply corrupt” scheme to benefit the president’s allies.

Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the plaintiffs did not prove they would face “irreparable harm” or be “directly affected” by the event, which they do not plan to attend.

The judge stated that the for-profit elements of UFC Freedom 250 and the lack of congressional approval or environmental review were not new information.

He also stressed that the stage and all other materials would be removed immediately after the fights conclude.

Rooftop sharpshooters, trained dogs, explosives experts, metal detectors and high-tech surveillance cameras are among the security measures the Secret Service will use to protect President Donald Trump during the controversial cage fights he’s hosting at the White House this evening.

Former Secret Service agents told The Independent they were confident that Trump — who’s been the target of three assassination attempts — would be sufficiently shielded as he celebrates his 80th birthday at the UFC “Freedom 250” event.

Bobby McDonald, who retired as second supervisor of then-Vice President Joe Biden’s Secret Service detail, said the White House sat on “the safest 18 acres in America.”

“Any event that’s on the south grounds of the White House is going to be as secure as you can get,” said McDonald, now an assistant professor of criminal justice and criminology at New Haven University. “Look, the president gets the highest level of protection we have, so everything under the sun will be on hand.”

There will be no general admission for the White House fights, which are expected to be invite-only.

UFC boss Dana White said in May: “[Trump] wants this to be mostly for the military, so there’s gonna be 4,300 people there. I just literally went over it right now; 4,300 people, and most of them will be military. 100 per cent [it’s a ‘thank you’ to the military].

“We’re gonna give away about 85,000 tickets [to the Ellipse]. There’s a process, you have to register for tickets, and they’re free […] For those who don’t know, the Ellipse is a massive park. Literally, you’ll be able to see the fight[s] from the Ellipse, but we have screens, we’ve got stages, we’ve got music.”

So how comes Topuria, when he emerged moments later, was wearing a smirk?

He told me why he’s so “relaxed” about fighting at the White House, and feeling like he’s “lived it already”:

We graded every fight on tonight’s card, as well as the event overall.

What do you think? Were we harsh or fair?