There’s only thing you can say: Wow!
That’s the reaction every MMA fan had to watching UFC Freedom 250, which took place at the White House on Sunday night.
It was truly a unique and memorable card that will go down in history as one of the best UFC cards of all time.
Every single fight produced a knockout finish, the first time in UFC history that all the fights on a card have ended by that method. The production value was through the roof, the fights were amazing, and in the main event, we saw one of the biggest upsets ever as Justin Gaethje defeated Ilia Topuria to become the undisputed UFC lightweight champion.
It was a sensational night of MMA action, and now it’s time to look at what’s ahead for the fighters on the card.
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Justin Gaethje
One of the all-time great performances in UFC history took place on the White House lawn as Gaethje finished Topuria via fourth-round TKO due to corner stoppage to unify the lightweight belts and become the new undisputed champion.
Few people gave Gaethje much of a chance in this fight, but he proved all the doubters wrong with one of the most spectacular fights on a card that was full of them.
After the fight, Gaethje admitted he is considering retirement. At age 37, he has nothing left to prove in the sport, and he may choose to walk away while on top. But if he fights again, then a matchup against top contender Arman Tsarukyan is the only fight that makes sense, and it would be an amazing fight if it happens.
Ilia Topuria
For Topuria, this is a potentially career-changing loss as he absorbed a ton of damage and couldn’t even make it to the final bell. He is still one of the UFC’s biggest stars, but anytime you lose your undefeated record, your aura tends to go away.
Topuria is going to need a lot of time off – think between six months and a year – before he even thinks about setting foot back inside the Octagon. When he does come back, he’ll get a top-10 lightweight in his return, with a potential grudge match against rival Paddy Pimblett a strong option, depending on how Pimblett’s fight goes against Benoit Saint Denis next month at UFC 329.
Ciryl Gane
In what was one of the standout performances on a card chock full of them, Gane won the interim UFC heavyweight title with an absolute masterclass performance against Alex Pereira, scoring the second-round knockout win with style. Gane won $425,000 for Performance of the Night, and it was well-deserved as he truly did have a spectacular performance.
The Frenchman also locked up a title unification bout against UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall later this year when the Brit returns from the eye injury he suffered against Gane last fall at UFC 321. It’s going to be a very intriguing fight when it happens, so hopefully Aspinall can get back to full health and the UFC can book it as soon as possible.
Alex Pereira
For Pereira, this was a tough loss as he failed in his bid to become the first three-division titleholder in UFC history. You have to give Pereira a ton of credit for moving up in weight and trying to make history, but ultimately, it was not a strong showing by him as he was wrecked by Gane in the second round.
For his next fight, Pereira should go back down to 205 pounds, where he is in his optimum weight class. UFC light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg facing Pereira is a dream matchup between two heavy-handed strikers, so when Ulberg returns from his ACL tear early next year, Pereira should be the man standing across the Octagon from him.
Josh Hokit
The heavyweight has seen a meteoric rise to fame in a short period of time. Think about it, he wasn’t even on the UFC roster one year ago. But after earning a UFC contract after a standout win on Dana White’s Contender Series last summer, Hokit has now won four UFC fights, and this latest win over Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250 adds to his highlight reel.
Although Hokit wants Pereira next, it feels like the Brazilian should return to light-heavyweight. If that’s the case, then a matchup between Hokit and No. 3-ranked heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich would be a lot of fun. These two were already talking on social media a few weeks ago after Pavlovich knocked out Tallison Teixeira at UFC Macau, so it makes sense to book them against each other as both men took little damage in their latest respective victories and should be ready to go in the coming months.
Sean O’Malley
In one of the best performances of his UFC career to date, O’Malley knocked out Canadian Aiemann Zahabi in the second round of their bantamweight bout, and he did so in style, as he saluted the troops as Zahabi was falling to the canvas. This was a massive win for O’Malley, who remains in title contention in the UFC bantamweight division, which is one of the most stacked weight classes in the UFC.
For his next bout, O’Malley should wait for the winner of the expected upcoming trilogy bout between UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili to take place. This fight hasn’t been officially announced yet, but it’s what the UFC has planned, so look for O’Malley to fight the winner of that fight later this year or early next year as he looks to get his belt back.
Bo Nickal
When UFC Freedom 250 was first announced, you just knew the middleweight standout was going to be on it, as he is close friends with United States President Donald Trump. While his matchup with Kyle Daukaus was a bit surprising, Nickal made quick work of his opponent, putting him away via first-round TKO to improve to 6-1 in the UFC with five finishes.
This win over Daukaus was big for Nickal, as it should land him a top-15-ranked opponent for his next fight. Gregory Rodrigues, who bears a striking resemblance to former U.S. President Barack Obama, would make for the ideal opponent for Nickal. The Brazilian is ranked at No. 12 in the weight class, and with him also coming off a big knockout win in his last fight, a matchup against Nickal makes a ton of sense, potentially as the main event of a Fight Night card.
Diego Lopes
Kicking off the card, Lopes knocked out Steve Garcia in the second round of a back-and-forth featherweight fight. Garcia actually took the first round with more effective striking, but Lopes landed a huge punch in the second round that dropped Garcia, and he finished him off with ground and pound to add to his UFC highlight reel.
Before the fight, Lopes had mentioned he wanted to go up to 155 pounds and fight UFC BMF champion Charles Oliveira at lightweight. After beating Garcia, it’s time to give Lopes what he wants and book him at lightweight against Oliveira with the BMF title on the line in what would be an absolutely incredible matchup between two of the most talented and skilled mixed martial artists on the planet. It could even headline a UFC numbered event it’d be that good.
Mauricio Ruffy
Another standout performance at UFC Freedom 250 featured Mauricio Ruffy dusting Michael Chandler inside of the first round. The betting odds suggested this fight was a mismatch, and the odds proved to be correct as Ruffy threw everything, including the kitchen sink, at Chandler for as long as the fight lasted, scoring two knockdowns before the referee stepped in and stopped the contest.
Ruffy entered this bout as the No. 9-ranked lightweight, so he will likely face someone ranked ahead of him next. Dan Hooker, who is ranked at No. 7, is someone known for his durability, and he would make for an interesting opponent for Ruffy. This could potentially headline a UFC Fight Night card in Brazil or, at the very least, be a main card bout on a numbered event.
Aiemann Zahabi
For Zahabi, it’s a tough-luck loss that ends his seven-fight win streak. At age 38, and in a stacked division, it won’t be easy for Zahabi to get back to the bantamweight title, but he’s certainly going to try.
Looking at the top 10, a matchup between Zahabi and the loser of next month’s UFC 329 bout between Mario Bautista and Cory Sandhagen makes a lot of sense, as it would it Zahabi against someone else ranked in the top 10 of the weight class who is coming off a loss. The French Canadian has been through adversity in his MMA career before and persevered from it, so don’t count him out, even though he is one of the oldest fighters in his weight class.
