‘Don’t f*** this up!’: How Matty Johns cracked up Dana as week of White House chaos begins

It’s seven o’clock at night here in Washington DC and Matty Johns has just told Dana White not to f*** things up on the White House lawn.

Which may be due to the Fox League personality, right now, operating on only two hours sleep.

UFC FREEDOM 250 | MONDAY 15 JUNE 10AM AEST | UFC Freedom 250 delivers a landmark night of fights from the White House, with Topuria vs Gaethje leading a stacked card celebrating America’s 250th anniversary | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.

Or maybe it’s the not-so-small matter of Johns having lost his heart medication in transit.

Regardless, Matty is on a roll.

Indeed, having just listened to White talk up fighting in rain on the South Lawn this Sunday, then fighting in snow, even fighting around a lightning storm, having listened to him predict Super Bowl viewing numbers, and laughed off potential lawsuits, Johns finally pipes up from within a media scrum to say how happy he is to hear it all.

“Because we’ve come a long way,” the Aussie grins to his new mate White. “And we don’t want you to f*** this up.”

Cue much laughter, including from the famed US promoter himself.

“I agree brother,” White cackles. “And we’re ready for all of it.”

Officially dubbed UFC Freedom 250, this Sunday’s run of seven fights on the White House lawn — and shown live in Australia on Monday — is an event which White stresses “will never be matched”.

In fact, the UFC president insists that when it comes to global sporting yarns from, say, the year 2000 on, “you tell me a better sports story, a bigger sports story, a crazier sports story than UFC”.

This is the yarn too, Johns is now in town to cover.

And which woke him on day one, wonderfully, with a phone call at 3am.

“Yeah, f***ing Fletch,” Johns says, referencing longtime Fox Sports running partner Bryan Fletcher. “Before flying out, I completely stuffed up my times and agreed to a radio interview with him … which turned out to be at three o’clock this morning.”

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Which put another way, was only hours after Matty arrived in the nation’s capital.

And with his bag still somewhere in Dallas, Texas.

“And the same bag that had my heart medication,” Johns grins. “I actually got an email about the issue just as I was landing in Washington D.C… and it’s fair to say a dark mist quickly descended.

“I landed, rang my wife Trish and she immediately called me an idiot. Said ‘I told you to pack your medication in the carry on’.

“Of course, I said ‘Trish, it’s not just the medication … some of my favourite pants are in there’. [Laughs] I actually woke up after midnight wondering what was going to happen to my denim jacket …”

Soon enough, he was woken again by Fletch.

Then within a few hours, Johns was back to the airport collecting his bag – “greatest feeling in the world” – before heading downtown to the UFC fighter hotel and a run of big interviews with UFC megastar Ilia Topuria, title rival Justin Gaethje and, finally, that media scrum with White.

One where Johns stole the show, too.

Back in January, Matty and White met for the first time in Las Vegas, with the UFC boss agreeing to a lengthy sit down interview while Johns was in town for the NRL season opener.

Weeks later, the Fox League host was invited to the White House event.

And with an interview opportunity with no less than President Trump also trying to be made.

On Monday, it was during a small media scrum with only select broadcast partners where the pair were reacquainted.

And in typical Johns fashion.

With that initial ‘don’t f*** this up’ line coming shortly after he also told the UFC boss about what Gaethje had offered up when asked about those criticising the idea of fighting on the White House lawn.

“Justin said anyone who thinks this event shouldn’t happen is a f***ing loser,” Johns told White with a smile. “Do you concur?”

“I think that’s a bit harsh,” the promoter replied with a grin, before then going on to talk up the virtues of an event set to celebrate both America’s 250th birthday, and President Trump’s 80th.

From there, White went on to explain everything now happening around UFC Freedom 250, and right down to those rock climbers who, apparently, are already on standby and ready to ascend ‘The Claw’ should there be any lighting issues once the cranes disappear.

Elsewhere, White said, no less than three Octagon canvases are also at the ready.

“So if something goes wrong with one,” he said, “we rip it out and put another one in”.

And as for that lawsuit which, revealed in recent days, is making a late bid to stop the event entirely.

“We expected the lawsuit, and thought it would be sooner,” White said before soon adding, “I don’t give a s*** about any of this stuff”.

White also stressed that while UFC middleweight champ Sean Strickland has this week spewed vitriol about not being allowed attend the event – due to criticism of both Freedom 250 and Trump — those claims were false.

“Everybody’s banned apparently,” White grinned. “Apparently f***ing everybody is banned.

“Of course, Sean Strickland isn’t [banned]. Sean Strickland is banned from humanity. We don’t want him near any human beings anywhere. F***ing shows up at Power Slap, he starts fights.

“He made it very clear he didn’t want to be a part of this event and now apparently he’s banned. Nobody is banned. Nobody’s music is banned. No media members have been banned. The list goes on and on.”

White added that, even for media alone, there have been 1000 people accredited to cover various fight week festivities.

Elsewhere, we can also tell you how quickly Johns built a rapport with Gaethje, the son of an Arizona copper miner who will main event against UFC lightweight king Topuria.

In fact, before even starting their interview, Johns offered a heartfelt thanks to Gaethje for continually mentioning his lineage, especially given how his own father, grandfather, even great grandfather were all Hunter Valley coal miners.

Which immediately drew an impressed response from the fighter considered something of a real life American Psycho.

“They’re tougher than us,” Gaethje said of coal miners. “We mine copper in the open pit. But underground coal is insane … I couldn’t imagine.”

Yet while Johns and Gaethje bonded over shared family history, the former Newcastle premiership hero said that when it comes to which headliner seemed most ready for everything coming, he had to go with the reigning champ.

“Who is just oozing confidence,” he said.

That, and promised Johns to take the head of his rival.

During his own separate media scrum, Topuria was also again asked by Gaethje’s comments to Fox Sports Australia late last week — where he took a dig at the champion’s recent divorce saying: “I would leave him. That’s all I’m saying. No way I would put up with his s***”.

It was that initial sledge which has ignited an increasing war of words here Stateside between the pair.

And one which continued again on Monday, with the pair getting heated during a face-to-face meeting on The Pat McAfee Show.

At one point during the exchanges, Topuria declared: “You’re not going to be able to do any f***ing thing.

“There’s a reason I’m the world champion. I talk and I prove it.

“I’m the king on this screen right now. I’m the motherf***ing champion, not you. So shut the f*** up. I’m going to put him to sleep in the first round. Don’t blink. Because it’s going to be very quick.”

Asked later during the media scrum if he had been surprised by the American’s dig, Topuria replied that he wasn’t.

“Not at all,” he started of Gaethje. “Because I always had the perception that he was kind of an idiot. He’s just confirmed that … it wasn’t a surprise to me.”

But, he stressed, the sledge will carry repercussions.

“I always had the desire to knock him out,” he continued. “But [initially], it was after I knock him out I would shake his hand and show him respect.

“But now it’s not going to be like that. I’m not going to show him any respect.”

UFC FREEDOM 250 | MONDAY 15 JUNE 10AM AEST | UFC Freedom 250 delivers a landmark night of fights from the White House, with Topuria vs Gaethje leading a stacked card celebrating America’s 250th anniversary | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.

Later, Topuria continued: “He’s been saying ‘I’m going to try to knock him out’. I told him ‘listen, the difference between me and you is that you’re going to try and do something … I’m going to do it.

“I’m not going to try and knock you out. I’m going to knock you out’.”

And in just two minutes, apparently.

“If he is going to do what he’s been saying,” Topuria continued of his rival, “that he is going to move forward and all that … that’s all I need.

“[Because] I have half of the job already.

“All I need from my opponents always is to have them against the wall, or start exchanging punches. So if he’s going to move forward, I’m going to knock him out in the second minute.”

The Spaniard then again doubled down on the pair having different mindsets.

“Thank God I’m not Justin,” he said. “Thank God we don’t have the same thought processes. That’s why he’s the challenger and I’m champion … we’re different.”

As a brief aside, Topuria also said he had little interest in claims fellow UFC fighter Arman Tsarukyan had bet $1 million on Gaethje, an almost $6 outsider with bookies.

“I don’t give a f***,” he shrugged.

Johns, meanwhile, found most interest in the Gaethje story.

“Especially,” the retired leaguie said, “when suggesting to me his old man, who is in town for this fight, can drink anybody under the table.

“I said ‘whoah, hang on a second Justin’, then gave him my number. I’m really hoping Mr Gaethje gives me a call this week.”