It’s really happening.
After nearly a full year of speculation that eventually turned into meticulous planning, UFC Freedom 250 is set to take place on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday night.
The card at the unique location features seven fights, the final two of which are five-round championship bouts.
One is a lightweight unification bout between champion Ilia Topuria and interim titleholder Justin Gaethje, plus an interim heavyweight title match with Alex Pereira debuting at heavyweight against Ciryl Gane.
Several of the five non-title fights have title implications and five of the seven matchups overall have one-sided betting odds.
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Below is the official bout order for UFC Freedom 250 bout order, plus predictions from our panel…
-- Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje (lightweight title unification bout)
-- Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane (for interim heavyweight title)
-- Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi
-- Derrick Lewis vs. Josh Hokit
-- Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler
-- Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus
-- Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia
Ahead of each UFC event in 2026, UFC reporter Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter), producer Dan Fernandes (@DanFernandes__) and writer/editor Mike Johnston (@MikeyJ_MMA) will peruse the odds and make four betting predictions using fantasy dollars: one best bet, one favourite, one underdog and one dart throw wager. REMINDER: Sportsnet is committed to promoting and educating audiences about the importance of betting responsibly. Sources for responsible gambling can be found HERE.
Watch UFC Freedom 250 on Sportsnet+
The UFC heads to the White House lawn for a night of fights in what promises to be one of the most unique sporting events in history. Watch UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday, June 14 with the seven-fight pay-per-view card available on Sportsnet+ starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
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AARON'S PICKS
Cage Lock: Topuria vs. Gaethje does not go the distance -800
Favourite: Topuria by KO/TKO -230
Underdog: Kyle Daukaus +285
Dart Throw: Zahabi by decision +550
While Gaethje has had some absolute classics, I do not see a great path to victory for him against someone with the technique and power of Topuria, who already has wins over two fighters who have defeated Gaethje. I think that Topuria finds the knockout at some stage. … Daukaus is a more well-rounded fighter than Nickal and I think that if he is taken down that he can find a submission off of his back. … Zahabi’s fight IQ has gotten him this far and while O’Malley is a step up in competition, Zahabi has what it takes to rise to the occasion.
DAN'S PICKS
Cage Lock: Mauricio Ruffy -667
Favourite: Diego Lopes -149
Underdog: Kyle Daukaus +285
Dart Throw: Derrick Lewis by TKO/KO +400
Maurício Ruffy is priced like a near lock for a reason. He’s the cleaner, more technical striker with a big edge in speed. … Diego Lopes has a better all-around game and is more versatile than Steve Garcia. Lopes has multiple paths to victory here and chances are he makes good on one of them. He can win striking exchanges, threaten submissions, and create scrambles where he’s dangerous from on top or from a defensive position. … I like the value on Kyle Daukaus. Bo Nickal is the better pure wrestler, but Daukaus is dangerous in exactly the type of messy, transitional grappling exchanges that elite wrestlers sometimes falter against. He also has legit finishing ability and enough grappling competence to survive and turn the tables. … Josh Hokit is the real deal. No question. But Derrick Lewis has the most knockouts in UFC history and just needs to connect with one shot to make this dart throw a reality. Given the stage, he might just be able to rise to the occasion one more time.
MIKE'S PICKS
Cage Lock: Lewis vs. Hokit ends in KO/TKO/DQ -275
Favourite: Alex Pereira -115
Underdog: Steve Garcia +135
Dart Throw: Justin Gaethje +500
The odds tell you everything you need to know about the interim heavyweight title matchup. A two-weight champion who’s one of the UFC’s biggest stars is barely favoured to beat a fighter who consistently loses title fights. Pereira is also a former two-weight kickboxing champion and this matchup with Gane figures to be a striking contest. Oddsmakers clearly believe Gane has the advantage in this matchup, which will be Pereira’s heavyweight debut.
Tom Aspinall said this week he leans towards Gane winning on points but can also see Pereira finding a knockout. That’s a solid analysis yet unless Gane has a massive speed advantage, I see Poatan chipping away at Gane’s legs with kicks and eventually taking control at striking range. Actually, I think there’s a good chance Pereira embarrasses Gane. I’d also fully view it as a disgrace and injustice if Gane won an interim title in the fight immediately after his fouls resulted in Aspinall requiring double eye surgery. Chama!
CAGE LOCKS PARLAY
Three legs: Topuria/Gaethje ends inside distance + Ruffy + Hokit/Lewis ends in KO/TKO/DQ
Parlay odds: -131 (to win: $76.41)
2026 STANDINGS AFTER 18 EVENTS
CAGE LOCKS PARLAY
2026 record: 9-9 (W4)
2026 winnings: -$107.60 (on $100 bets)
AARON'S RECORDS/TOTALS (36-36, +2.99 units)
Cage Lock: 12-6 (-$377.92)
Favourite: 11-7 (-$82.80)
Underdog: 9-9 (+$310)
Dart throw: 4-14 (+$450)
DAN'S RECORDS/TOTALS (37-34-1, +1.91 units)
Cage Lock: 17-1 (+$190.07)
Favourite: 12-6 (-$3.24)
Underdog: 5-12-1 (-$495)
Dart throw: 3-15 (+$500)
MIKE'S RECORDS/TOTALS (33-37-2, -10.91 units)
Cage Lock: 15-3 (+$106.14)
Favourite: 11-7 (+$42.74)
Underdog: 7-10-1 (+$460)
Dart throw: 0-17-1 (-$1,700)
Cage Lock: The pick deemed to be the wager most likely to win regardless of what the odds look like. The Cage Locks parlay will combine Aaron’s, Dan’s and Mike’s respective best bet for each event.
Favourite: A fighter with winning odds shorter than -300 but not longer than -110. On chalkier cards with a dearth of available moneyline favourites that meet those criteria, prop bets are allowed to be selected.
Underdog: Any fighter with longer odds than their opponent’s.
Dart Throw: Any prop bet or moneyline wager with odds of +400 or longer.
(Betting odds above are via BetMGM, submitted at various times throughout week, and subject to change prior to the fights)
