Topuria believes his altercation with Josh Hokit could have turned physical without security. Topuria defends his lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 205 on June 14 at the White House, while Hokit is scheduled to fight Derrick Lewis on the same card. The two clashed during a promotional presser in Newark, New Jersey, where Hokit launched an unprovoked tirade at Alex Pereira. Pereira and Topuria had traveled together to visit President Donald Trump before the presser. Topuria stood up to defend Pereira, then threw a glass of water at Hokit. Security intervened before the situation escalated further. Topuria said he was enraged by Hokit insulting Pereira’s mother and argued that such disrespect should not be set in front of millions of viewers.
"Topuria puts his lightweight title on the line against interim champion Justin Gaethje in the main event at UFC Freedom 205 on June 14 at the White House. Meanwhile, Hokit is scheduled to fight Derrick Lewis in a heavyweight tilt on the same card. Topuria and Hokit got into an altercation during a promotional presser for the event earlier this month in Newark, New Jersey. Hokit launched an unprovoked tirade on Alex Pereira, who fights Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title on the same card."
"Topuria, who was sitting next to Pereira, stood up to defend "Poatan" against Hokit's rant. Things heated up when Topuria threw a glass of water at Hokit. However, security personnel intervened before things could escalate. Topuria recently opened up about his altercation with Hokit. "El Matador" explains that he was enraged when Hokit insulted Pereira's mother. While Topuria understands the usual trash talk in MMA, he believes certain boundaries mustn't be crossed with millions of fans watching."
""I couldn't believe it," Topuria said in a recent interview with ABC. "I've been in many press conferences, I have seen everything. But I have never seen someone stand up and talk about someone's mother in such a disrespectful way. It was pretty disrespectful... And for no reason, you're not even going to fight him. You can talk about the other's professionalism, you can go after each other, it's fine, we're used to it, we know what we're in for. But talking about someone's mother in that way just made my blood boil. We can't set that example here. Millions of people are watching us... Luckily"
Read at Sherdog
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