WASHINGTON — Fourteen fighters were chosen for a one-of-a-kind UFC card on the White House lawn, and the build-up to the show has been unlike a typical fight week, according to ESPN. Alongside standard media obligations and weigh-ins, fighters toured national monuments, trained at the FBI’s headquarters, practiced late-night sessions in hotel conference rooms and found time for haircuts, shopping and golf swings.
Heavyweight Ciryl Gane spent part of the week at a golf simulator working on his swing; he picked up the game about a year ago and has plans to play competitively, ESPN reports. Gane’s older brother David — who handles much of the fighter’s business logistics and lives in the D.C. area — described him as ‘someone everyone can become friends with’ as Gane moved through the team’s downtime with shuffleboard and impromptu games of catch. Gane has curtailed social media sharing in recent years after comments from Jon Jones before UFC 285, ESPN adds.
Longtime coach Fernand Lopez remains a central figure in Gane’s camp; the team affectionately calls Lopez ‘king,’ and Saturday’s bout with Alex Pereira will mark the fifth UFC title fight for Gane and Lopez together, ESPN wrote. Recent heavyweight conversations have centered on Francis Ngannou, Tom Aspinall, Jon Jones and Pereira, and ESPN noted Gane will become the first heavyweight to have faced all four. The team’s results in those matchups stand at 0-2 with one no-contest.
Gane has leaned on a mental health coach during big fights; ESPN reported the coach flew from Bahrain to Washington for in-person sessions this week. David Gane, a former strategy consultant for Meta, handled much of the trip logistics for what has felt like a near-home week for the team.
Interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje and his team used the underground gym at FBI headquarters for nightly training sessions, according to ESPN. Gaethje previously held a seminar with FBI executives and agents. ESPN also noted Gaethje was born in Safford, Arizona, where many relatives worked in copper mines, and that he pursued professional athletics in part to avoid that path.
