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Ilia Topuria reveals White House souvenirs he asked Donald Trump to give him
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- Ilia Topuria reveals White House souvenirs he asked Donald Trump to give him
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Zuffa LLC
Ilia Topuria was among the UFC Freedom 250 stars who visited the White House last week as the historic card continues to move closer.
Alex Pereira, Justin Gaethje and Ciryl Gane also attended the meeting with Donald Trump.
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Topuria had previously insisted his role on the card was simply work, not a political stance, but the meeting clearly left an impression on him, and new footage about that day provided more details about how it went in the Oval Office.
Ilia Topuria reveals Donald Trump gave him White House pens after private souvenir request
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Topuria has now explained that one small moment inside the White House became a personal memory he wanted to take away from the visit.
The UFC lightweight champion said he noticed several pens during the meeting, but claimed nobody else was willing to ask Trump for one.
"There were a bunch of pens and nobody dared, so I told him, 'Can you give me a pair of pens?'" Topuria said in his latest YouTube video.
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'El Matador' then revealed that Trump immediately agreed and gave him more than he expected.
"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,'" the Spaniard added.
It was a small exchange, but it fit with the change in tone around Topuria's view of the meeting.
During the White House visit, he told Trump he had not expected him to be so kind, which drew a light-hearted response in the room.
Footage also showed Topuria speaking with Dana White afterwards, agreeing with the UFC president as Trump was described as a "great guy".
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That does not completely change Topuria's earlier position that fighting on the card is a professional obligation rather than a political declaration.
However, the souvenir story and what followed show Trump appears to have won him over on a personal level.
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