No Gane! Dana White laments and confirms Poatan vs. Tom Aspinall as the ideal UFC fight at the White House.

Simulation of the face-off between Poatan and Aspinall at the White House. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/freak.mma

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At UFC Casa Branca , an event taking place this Sunday (14), in Washington (USA), Alex Poatan faces Ciryl Gane in the co-main event, aiming to win the heavyweight belt (up to 120,2 kg). However, despite the duel being extremely important for the category, Dana White is clear in admitting that it was not the organization's original idea.

In an interview with the YouTube channel 'TNT Fight Sports', the executive, with a regretful tone, confirmed that the UFC's intention was to set up a fight between the Brazilian and Tom Aspinall , the undisputed heavyweight champion. In fact, the Englishman and Poatan had even shown interest in the bout. However, the company's plan fell through due to the serious injury suffered by the champion in his fight against Bon Gamin.

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In October, Aspinall put his undisputed title on the line for the first time, and was considered a heavy favorite to beat Gane. However, after being poked in the eye, he was unable to compete, and the fight ended in a no contest in the first round. Having undergone surgery, the Englishman was not cleared by doctors to return to training and was sidelined. Therefore, the UFC ignored Jon Jones ' appeal to fight at the White House and officially scheduled the Brazil vs. France fight for the interim title.

“Oh, absolutely. Yes, that would have been the fight if he had been okay… Right now, most of our champions are injured. So it’s kind of peculiar. There are a lot of things you have to deal with when you’re scheduling fights with the timing and everything else that happens in everyone’s life, injuries. But yes, it would have been Aspinall,” said the UFC president.

UFC White House

UFC White House , also known as UFC Freedom 250 , will take place on June 14th at the official residence of the US president in Washington, D.C. Unlike usual, the event will be held on a Sunday, Donald Trump's birthday.

In the main event of UFC Casa Branca , Ilia Topuria defends her lightweight title (up to 70,3 kg) against Justin Gaethje , the interim champion.

Alex Poatan in the spotlight

Alex Poatan will be a featured athlete at UFC Casa Branca . Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

Brazil will be heavily represented at UFC Casa Branca . In the co-main event, Alex Poatan attempts an unprecedented feat. The former middleweight (up to 83,9 kg) and light heavyweight (up to 93 kg) champion seeks the interim heavyweight (up to 120 kg) title against Ciryl Gane.

Besides Poatan, Mauricio Ruffy and Diego Lopes are the other Brazilian athletes on the card. The pair will face Michael Chandler and Steve Garcia , respectively.

UFC White House fight schedule

Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje – Title fight

Heavyweight (up to 120 kg): Alex Poatan vs. Ciryl Gane – Interim title fight

Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi

Heavyweight (up to 120 kg): Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis

Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler

Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): Bo Nickal x Kyle Daukaus

Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia

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