Donald Trump clearly made an impression on Ilia Topuria during the UFC Freedom 250 White House visit. So much so that the lightweight champion took more than just photos from the Oval Office. ‘El Matador’ recently revealed on his YouTube channel that Trump personally gave him a Presidential Challenge Coin following the visit.
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A coin is a symbolic item traditionally handed out by U.S. presidents to honor guests, military members, or people they respect. The Spanish-Georgian explained the military and law enforcement tradition behind “coin challenges,” where challenge coins are viewed as symbols of status and respect within certain circles.
“He gave us this,” he said in Spanish while showing the coin to the camera. “If you go into a bar and you do a coin challenge and you leave this in a bar with the military or with the police, like this.
“Whoever has the power, the medallion of the lowest rank is the one who pays, okay? And this is the highest because it’s the president’s, which is the highest rank.”
🇺🇸 Donald Trump gifted Ilia Topuria a Presidential Challenge Coin 🪙 "If you go into a bar and you do a coin challenge and you leave this in a bar with the military or with the police, like this. Whoever has the power, the medallion of the lowest rank is the one who pays, okay? Show more
While the exact rules vary depending on the group, presidential challenge coins are usually viewed as some of the most prestigious because they are given directly by the President of the United States.
But for Ilia Topuria, the bigger memory seemed to be the atmosphere inside the White House itself. According to the lightweight champion, Donald Trump entered the room with an energy that immediately made everyone feel welcome.
“You feel the energy,” he said. “The president walks in, and he comes in with an energy like ‘Welcome to my house; whatever you need,’ so kind to everyone, super whatever.
“Made a comment to everyone, talked about everyone in big terms, which many times people don’t have those qualities of speaking well of others, you know? That says a lot.”
Then came the moment that apparently stuck with him the most. After the press conference, the POTUS reportedly decided to personally show the fighters around the White House himself.
“But there was an epic moment suddenly like this,” Ilia Topuria continued. “We do the press conference with him behind, and suddenly he takes his behind; he shows us the office himself. Look at it; look, all the cameras are there.
“Suddenly comes a moment like, ‘Let’s go back out.’ He opens the bathroom door and starts fixing his hair.”
It was such an unexpectedly normal moment that ‘El Matador’ considered it epic, almost amused by how surreal the whole experience felt.
Later, when Ilia Topuria met back up with Dana White, the UFC CEO asked about the White House visit.
“How’d it go with the White House?” the head honcho asked. “Good? I saw you saying, ‘You’re much nicer than I thought. ’”
Ilia Topuria’s response was simple.
“Never thought he would be so kind,” he said.
Well, it surely looks like ‘El Matador’ felt as comfortable as one can while in the presence of the president. So much so that, apart from the presidential challenge coin, he personally requested Donald Trump for a souvenir that nobody dared to ask for.
Ilia Topuria made an odd souvenir request to Donald Trump
Ilia Topuria seems to have walked away from the visit with the excitement of a kid visiting a dream destination. The UFC lightweight champion had already received a Presidential Challenge Coin from Donald Trump, but that evidently wasn’t enough for him.
While discussing the Oval Office visit on his YouTube channel, ‘El Matador’ further mentioned that one random detail inside the room that caught his attention: the pens sitting around the president’s desk.
“There were a bunch of pens, and nobody dared,” he said. “So I told him (Donald Trump), ‘Can you give me a pair of pens?’
“He tells me, ‘Of course,’ and gives me a bunch. Now I’ve got the pen with his signature, and it says, ‘The White House.’ ’”
It’s a strange souvenir request, but it perfectly captures how relaxed and happy the UFC star seemed to be by the end of it. After all, despite all the rugged machismo that follows the man going toe-to-toe with a beast such as Justin Gaethje, Ilia Topuria is, after all, a human. Even if his highlight reels suggest otherwise.
