UFC reveals 6-fight ‘Freedom 250’ White House event featuring 2 title tilts
· Yahoo Sports
Opinions are all over the map for the big announcement of the
oft-discussed
Ultimate Fighting Championship White House event.
On the main card broadcast of Saturday’s UFC 326 offering, during the conclusion of the four-fight portion simulcast on the CBS network, the promotion revealed all six bouts that will be held on its fabled UFC White House card. The event, also titled “Freedom 250,” will feature a pair of championship tilts including one unification match and another for an interim strap. The bout that will headline the June 14 show on the White House grounds in Washington, D.C., will be one rumored for some time: Ilia Topuria (17-0) vs. Justin Gaethje (27-5) for the undisputed lightweight championship.
Topuria serves as one of a small number of two-division champions in organizational history, as he picked up the featherweight strap in 2024 by sparking Alexander Volkanovski with one punch atop UFC 298. He defended that throne once by icing Max Holloway in the UFC 308 main attraction, and vacated that belt to move to 155 pounds. In the main event of UFC 317, Topuria demolished former kingpin Charles Oliveira to pick up the vacant strap. “El Matador” needed to take some time off to resolve family matters, resulting in the promotion granting an interim title opportunity to his upcoming opponent.
“The Highlight” Gaethje secured interim gold for the second time when he beat Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 in January, reaching the status he previously achieved when smashing Tony Ferguson for that interim belt back in 2020. Gaethje’s previous effort to unify that belt came up short when he suffered his first career submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov later that year. A 15-fight UFC veteran, the Arizonan has earned 15 post-fight bonus awards for his thrilling performances since joining the roster in 2017.
In an attempt to make major MMA organizational history, Alex Pereira (13-3) will be moving up to heavyweight in an effort to secure the interim belt against former champ Ciryl Gane (13-2, 1 NC). Another member of the two-division champ club, Pereira previously held the middleweight and light heavyweight thrones, even holding the latter twice. Of note, Anatoly Malykhin held the 205-pound and 225-pound championships as well as the heavyweight strap concurrently in One Championship, although the league has since lost “major” status due to its overall lack of MMA matches.
Opponent Gane has circled the title picture since one-upping Alexander Volkov back in 2021, picking up the interim variety once before against Derrick Lewis that year. Like the aforementioned Gaethje, Gane was unable to secure undisputed status as Francis Ngannou outpointed him in their subsequent bout. Gane later fell short against Jon Jones for the undisputed crown, losing by stoppage for the first time in his career. He picked up wins over Serghei Spivac and Volkov again to put himself back in contention, only for an eye poke in the first round to scuttle his title tilt against Tom Aspinall in 2025.
Moving down the main card—the promotion has not yet determined whether part or all of the event will air on CBS on that unique Sunday show—the UFC also put together a possible title eliminator at 135 pounds. Looking to make his way back to gold will be Sean O'Malley (19-3, 1 NC) taking on Aiemann Zahabi (14-2) in a U.S. vs. Canada excursion. “Suga” put a pair of defeats to champ Merab Dvalishvili behind him by snagging a decision over Yadong Song in January. On the other hand, adversary Zahabi has won seven straight dating back to 2021, including a pair of decisions over Jose Aldo and Marlon Vera in 2025.
Putting a member of the vaunted Fighting Nerds team on display, Mauricio Ruffy (13-2) will battle hard-nosed American wrestle-boxer Michael Chandler (23-10) in a lightweight showcase effort. The Brazilian has won four of five since making his organizational debut in 2024, with his most recent victory a knockout of striking coach Rafael Fiziev in January. While Ruffy has largely succeeded as of late, Chandler has not gotten his hand raised since he posterized Ferguson with a front kick in 2022. This includes a trio of losses plus a number of failed attempts to face Conor McGregor after coaching against him in the 31st season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
In the lone all-American bout on the billing, three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion Bo Nickal (8-1) collides with fellow Pennsylvanian Kyle Daukaus (17-4, 1 NC). Nickal saw his undefeated record crumble last year when Reinier de Ridder put him away with a knee to the body. He got back on the winning track by blasting Rodolfo Vieira with a head kick in November at UFC 322. Foe Daukaus returned to the promotion after getting cut in 2022 to shock Michel Pereira with a 43-second knockout in a late-notice appearance at UFC Fight Night 257. He promptly tapped out grappling ace Gerald Meerschaert in 50 seconds in November to push his overall win streak to six in a row.
Barring a late addition—UFC chief Dana White suggested that there may be a seventh match booked, while also stating on a Powerslap broadcast on Friday that one of the fights for this card fell through—the event will kick off with a featherweight banger between Diego Lopes (27-8) and Steve Garcia (19-5). Since his unsuccessful debut against Movsar Evloev in 2023, the only man to beat Lopes in the Octagon has been Volkanovski. Ultraviolent Jackson-Wink product Garcia has been a man possessed since getting knocked out by Maheshate Hayisaer in 2022, racking up seven wins including six knockouts.
On the main card broadcast of Saturday’s UFC 326 offering, during the conclusion of the four-fight portion simulcast on the CBS network, the promotion revealed all six bouts that will be held on its fabled UFC White House card. The event, also titled “Freedom 250,” will feature a pair of championship tilts including one unification match and another for an interim strap. The bout that will headline the June 14 show on the White House grounds in Washington, D.C., will be one rumored for some time: Ilia Topuria (17-0) vs. Justin Gaethje (27-5) for the undisputed lightweight championship.
Topuria serves as one of a small number of two-division champions in organizational history, as he picked up the featherweight strap in 2024 by sparking Alexander Volkanovski with one punch atop UFC 298. He defended that throne once by icing Max Holloway in the UFC 308 main attraction, and vacated that belt to move to 155 pounds. In the main event of UFC 317, Topuria demolished former kingpin Charles Oliveira to pick up the vacant strap. “El Matador” needed to take some time off to resolve family matters, resulting in the promotion granting an interim title opportunity to his upcoming opponent.
“The Highlight” Gaethje secured interim gold for the second time when he beat Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 in January, reaching the status he previously achieved when smashing Tony Ferguson for that interim belt back in 2020. Gaethje’s previous effort to unify that belt came up short when he suffered his first career submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov later that year. A 15-fight UFC veteran, the Arizonan has earned 15 post-fight bonus awards for his thrilling performances since joining the roster in 2017.
A New Chapter in the Record Books
In an attempt to make major MMA organizational history, Alex Pereira (13-3) will be moving up to heavyweight in an effort to secure the interim belt against former champ Ciryl Gane (13-2, 1 NC). Another member of the two-division champ club, Pereira previously held the middleweight and light heavyweight thrones, even holding the latter twice. Of note, Anatoly Malykhin held the 205-pound and 225-pound championships as well as the heavyweight strap concurrently in One Championship, although the league has since lost “major” status due to its overall lack of MMA matches.
Opponent Gane has circled the title picture since one-upping Alexander Volkov back in 2021, picking up the interim variety once before against Derrick Lewis that year. Like the aforementioned Gaethje, Gane was unable to secure undisputed status as Francis Ngannou outpointed him in their subsequent bout. Gane later fell short against Jon Jones for the undisputed crown, losing by stoppage for the first time in his career. He picked up wins over Serghei Spivac and Volkov again to put himself back in contention, only for an eye poke in the first round to scuttle his title tilt against Tom Aspinall in 2025.
Moving down the main card—the promotion has not yet determined whether part or all of the event will air on CBS on that unique Sunday show—the UFC also put together a possible title eliminator at 135 pounds. Looking to make his way back to gold will be Sean O'Malley (19-3, 1 NC) taking on Aiemann Zahabi (14-2) in a U.S. vs. Canada excursion. “Suga” put a pair of defeats to champ Merab Dvalishvili behind him by snagging a decision over Yadong Song in January. On the other hand, adversary Zahabi has won seven straight dating back to 2021, including a pair of decisions over Jose Aldo and Marlon Vera in 2025.
Putting a member of the vaunted Fighting Nerds team on display, Mauricio Ruffy (13-2) will battle hard-nosed American wrestle-boxer Michael Chandler (23-10) in a lightweight showcase effort. The Brazilian has won four of five since making his organizational debut in 2024, with his most recent victory a knockout of striking coach Rafael Fiziev in January. While Ruffy has largely succeeded as of late, Chandler has not gotten his hand raised since he posterized Ferguson with a front kick in 2022. This includes a trio of losses plus a number of failed attempts to face Conor McGregor after coaching against him in the 31st season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
In the lone all-American bout on the billing, three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion Bo Nickal (8-1) collides with fellow Pennsylvanian Kyle Daukaus (17-4, 1 NC). Nickal saw his undefeated record crumble last year when Reinier de Ridder put him away with a knee to the body. He got back on the winning track by blasting Rodolfo Vieira with a head kick in November at UFC 322. Foe Daukaus returned to the promotion after getting cut in 2022 to shock Michel Pereira with a 43-second knockout in a late-notice appearance at UFC Fight Night 257. He promptly tapped out grappling ace Gerald Meerschaert in 50 seconds in November to push his overall win streak to six in a row.
Barring a late addition—UFC chief Dana White suggested that there may be a seventh match booked, while also stating on a Powerslap broadcast on Friday that one of the fights for this card fell through—the event will kick off with a featherweight banger between Diego Lopes (27-8) and Steve Garcia (19-5). Since his unsuccessful debut against Movsar Evloev in 2023, the only man to beat Lopes in the Octagon has been Volkanovski. Ultraviolent Jackson-Wink product Garcia has been a man possessed since getting knocked out by Maheshate Hayisaer in 2022, racking up seven wins including six knockouts.
THE OFFICIAL BOUT LIST FOR #UFCWhiteHouse
[ LIVE Sunday June 14 on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/06d09Tm0jZ— UFC (@ufc) March 8, 2026
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