Two title fights are headed to the White House lawn this June.
The UFC announced Saturday night, during the UFC 326 broadcast, the full six-fight lineup for its anticipated and unique event scheduled to take place on the South Lawn of the White House.
“UFC Freedom 250” will take place Sunday, June 14 – which happens to be Flag Day in the U.S., as well as U.S. President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday – and will be headlined by a title unification bout.
Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria will face interim lightweight titleholder Justin Gaethje in a five-round main event.
The undefeated Topuria is a former 145-pound champ who became a 155-pound champ last summer. The Spanish-Georgian star announced he was taking a personal leave of absence late last year, so the UFC introduced an interim belt that Gaethje won in January when he defeated Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324.
Gaethje was one of the many fighters campaigning to be part of the White House event. Following his win over Pimblett, the 37-year-old said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show he wanted "Ilia Topuria at the White House" next and that he had been "speaking it into existence" since last summer, even adding "I think we'll be the main event."
Gaethje is one of six American fighters set to compete on the card.
Former light-heavyweight and middleweight champion Alex Pereira will look to become the first fighter in UFC history to win a title in a third weight class when he faces France's Cyril Gane in an interim heavyweight title fight.
Brazil's Pereira recently vacated his title in the 205-pound division with the goal of winning a belt in the heavyweight division.
Reigning heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall is still recovering from the serious eye injuries he sustained at UFC 321 in October when he was egregiously poked in both eyes by Gane in the first round of their title fight.
There will be some Canadian content in D.C. when Montreal’s Aiemann Zahabi meets former bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley in a pivotal 135-pound contest where the winner could earn a title shot.
Michael Chandler will look to snap a three-fight losing streak when he faces Brazil’s Mauricio Ruffy in a lightweight bout.
Middleweight Bo Nickal, who also had a prime spot on 2024’s infamous UFC 300 card, goes up against fellow American Kyle Daukaus.
Exciting featherweight knockout artists Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia are also on the card in a pairing that should result in a fan-friendly brawl.
Dana White told Sportsnet ahead of UFC 324 in January that he envisioned the White House card would be “the biggest event ever done, by a long shot,” and added he expected it would exceed recent blockbuster events such as UFC 300 or UFC 306 at the Sphere venue in Las Vegas.
Other fighters that had been campaigning in recent months for a spot on the card included past champions Conor McGregor and Jon Jones.
