'RR to D.C.': UFC fighters with local ties set for special White House event in June

RIO RANCHO —Rio Rancho being connected to the White House through mixed martial arts was probably not on your bingo cards for 2026, but it will be a reality this coming summer.

Announced on March 7 during its latest event, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) revealed its “UFC Freedom 250” fight lineup for their special event, scheduled to be held on the White House grounds June 14. 

The main event of the card is headlined by Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria, set to fight for the World Lightweight Championship.

Gaethje, native to Tucson, Arizona, is no stranger to New Mexico and the Southwest. He visited Rio Rancho High School less than a year ago to talk to the Juggernaut Wrestling program, run by lifelong friend and RRHS hall-of-famer Vicente Varela.

“This school is a powerhouse. New Mexico and Arizona were my two homes for competition in wrestling when I was a kid. So, yeah, this brings back some cool memories,” Gaethje told the Observer in July.

But while there are loose City of Vision ties atop the card, the roots get deeper in the middleweight division.

Bo Nickal, a former Rio Rancho High School wrestler and current UFC athlete, will take on Kyle Daukaus in one of the six scheduled matches.

Living in New Mexico from fifth to eighth grade, Nickal may never have walked the RRHS halls, but he did make an impact on the wrestling team. As an eighth grader, he finished second in the state championship with the Rams.

“I really appreciate my time there, and I feel like it was great for me,” Nickal told the Albuquerque Journal in 2024. “I learned so much and met so many awesome people.”

But if those two aren’t enough of a rooting interest for you, Steve Garcia may take the cake.

While the other two may have affiliations with the city and state, Garcia is the lone fighter on the card who proudly is announced as “fighting out of New Mexico.”

According to his social media accounts, Garcia was a part of Rio Rancho High School’s Class of 2010. He went on to train Luttrell-Yee MMA, a Rio Rancho-Albuquerque-based gym run by Chris Luttrell, father of Cleveland wrestling star Roman Luttrell.

Garcia still lives and trains in the area, fighting out of Jackson Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque.

“I’m just an Albuquerque kid that came out of a small area, and now I’m on the biggest stage, fighting alongside some great champions. So, man, it’s awesome. I’ve come a long way.” Garcia told the Journal in 2022.

Whether they visited, had brief stints, or are proud natives of the area, remember the names: These local faces will be fighting in one of the biggest fighting events in history pretty soon.