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Seven days on from last Saturday’s explosive evening at Nevada’s Meta Apex, the UFC roadshow rolls into the American capital.
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States’ Declaration of Independence, this weekend’s aptly named event will be staged on the South Lawn of the White House.
Anticipation has been building since Donald Trump – who incidentally celebrates his 80th birthday on Saturday – announced plans to commemorate the country’s milestone with a bumper UFC promotion, but few predicted it would be staged outside the presidential residence.
With UFC Freedom 250 also coinciding with the Flag Day holiday, we can expect an electric atmosphere in Washington, D.C.
Although most of the attention will be focused on the headline bout between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, there are a series of other intriguing duels taking place. Check out our preview of the UFC Freedom 250 fight card below.
Ilia Topuria v Justin Gaethje – Main Event (for light-heavyweight title)
Ilia Topuria hasn’t entered The Octagon since last June, when he took less than 150 seconds to knock out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317.
The German-born star chose to step back from his UFC duties after claiming he was the victim of an extortion plot, which centred around allegations of domestic abuse.
That triumph over Oliveira not only resulted in him being crowned lightweight champion but also produced his third consecutive Performance of the Night award.
His other two recent stand-out displays helped him to acquire and then successfully defend his bantamweight title (which he later vacated to step up a division), beating Alexander Volkanovski in California before grinding down Max Holloway at UFC 308.
Justin Gaethje seized his opportunity in Topuria’s absence, defeating Paddy Pimblett in a bruising encounter at the T-Mobile Arena to rise to second in the lightweight rankings.
Although the American ace has won four of his last five bouts, his solitary loss was a damaging one. Max Holloway wrestled the symbolic UFC ‘BMF’ title from his grasp at UFC 300, after landing a decisive haymaker just before the final buzzer.
Match Result odds – Ilia Topuria: 1/6, Justin Gaethje: 9/2 (bet265)
Alex Pereira v Ciryl Gane (for interim heavyweight title)
As current belt holder Tom Aspinall is still recovering from eye surgery, the heavyweight division needs an interim champion.
Alex Pereira vacated his light-heavyweight crown in anticipation of Saturday night’s clash with Ciryl Gane, the man who inflicted Aspinall’s wounds with an accidental double-eye poke at UFC 321.
Gane’s last defeat in The Octagon prevented him from taking the heavyweight belt, as a perfectly executed guillotine choke by the legendary Jon Jones overwhelmed the Frenchman way back in March 2023.
Despite his distinct lack of heavyweight experience, Alex Pereira heads into this one in confident spirits. After ceding his light-heavyweight belt to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, the bullish Brazilian reclaimed the title by beating the same opponent less than seven months later.
This double-header came at the end of a five-match winning streak, throughout which he produced two Performance of the Night displays against Czech grappler Jiří Procházka.
If Pereira emerges triumphant at UFC Freedom 250, he’ll become the first fighter in UFC history to have been the champion of three separate weight divisions.
Match Result odds – Alex Pereira: 20/23, Ciryl Gane: 20/21 (bet365)
Sean O'Malley v Aiemann Zahabi (bantamweight)
Following two gut-wrenching losses to Merab Dvalishvili, Sean O’Malley is attempting to reinvigorate his title chances in 2026.
Dvalishvili halted the American’s reign as bantamweight champion at UFC 306 thanks to the judges' unanimous ruling in his favour, before delivering a fatal north/south chokehold in the rematch.
Having overcome the highly rated Song Yadong at the turn of the year, another victory could put O’Malley back into contention.
Meanwhile, Aiemann Zahabi is hoping to record his eighth win on the bounce. The most recent success in this sequence was his tightest to date, edging out Marlon Vera by split decision at last October’s UFC Fight Night: de Ridder vs. Allen.
The Canadian veteran endured a tough start to his UFC career, but has proved he belongs amongst the big boys over the past few years. Can he extend his impressive form on Saturday evening?
Match Result odds – Sean O'Malley: 4/17, Aiemann Zahabi: 13/4 (bet365)
Josh Hokit v Derrick Lewis (heavyweight)
After a TKO triumph over Max Gimenis on his UFC debut, Josh Hokit got the better of fellow Americans Denzel Freeman and Curtis Blaydes to preserve his 100% record in MMA.
The charismatic Californian was adjudged to have delivered the Performance of the Night in each of those three fights, fuelling hopes he could soon challenge for the middleweight championship.
Derrick Lewis is an ideal test for Hokit, who has yet to face such an established competitor. The 41-year-old still holds the record for the most knockouts (16) in UFC history, while only Belarusian icon Andrei Arlovski has registered more victories in the heavyweight division.
Nevertheless, Lewis has struggled to string together a consistent run of results in recent times, losing six of his last ten bouts, including January’s sobering defeat to Waldo Cortes-Acosta.
Match Result odds – Josh Hokit: 1/4, Derrick Lewis: 16/5 (bet365)
Maurício Ruffy v Michael Chandler (lightweight)
Maurício Ruffy has made an extremely strong start to his UFC career after progressing from Dana White’s Contender Series at the end of 2023, prevailing in four of his opening five contests.
The Brazilian’s latest win came just over four months ago, when he dispatched Rafael Fiziev via technical knockout in Sydney.
Originally rumoured to be the targeted opponent of the soon-to-be returning Conor McGregor, UFC Freedom 250 could have provided a very different challenge for Michael Chandler. The 40-year-old Missourian may be thankful for facing a less high-profile adversary, having lost three consecutive bouts since beating Tony Ferguson in the summer of 2022.
Match Result odds – Maurício Ruffy: 1/6, Michael Chandler: 9/2 (bet365)
Bo Nickal v Kyle Daukaus (middleweight)
Having claimed his second Performance of the Night award on his most recent appearance in The Octagon, Bo Nickal currently has a spring in his step. The jiu-jitsu purple belt holder cut down Rodolfo Vieira at Madison Square Garden in November, almost three years on from his scintillating duel with Jamie Pickett.
Kyle Daukaus also delivered his first Performance of the Night against Pickett, after wrapping up the former NLFC middleweight champion in a Brabo choke.
After spending two highly successful years in the Cage Fury Fighting Championships, Daukas marked his return to the UFC last summer with a barnstorming triumph over Michel Pereira.
The ‘D’Arce Knight’ needed just 43 seconds to eliminate Pereira at Walker vs. Zhang, who simply couldn’t handle his opponent’s lethal punch and elbow combination.
Match Result odds – Bo Nickal: 20/63, Kyle Daukaus: 5/2 (bet365)
Diego Lopes v Steve Garcia (featherweight)
A run of five successive wins earned Diego Lopes a chance of securing the vacant featherweight belt, but Alexander Volkanovski abruptly thwarted his progress. The Australian ace defeated Lopes by unanimous decision in April 2025, before defending his newly acquired title on native soil at UFC 325.
Sandwiched in between these two disappointments was an emphatic victory in Texas, where Lopes ended Jean Silva’s challenge with a technical knockout during the closing stages of the second round.
Meanwhile, Steve Garcia is looking to continue building momentum after headlining UFC Vegas 110 last November. The New Mexican has recorded seven straight wins in a row, five of which came as a result of knockouts.
This impressive run commenced with a devastating TKO way back in October 2022, when he left Chase Hooper spreadeagled on the canvas less than two minutes into their bout at UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen.
Match Result odds – Diego Lopes: 4/6, Steve Garcia: 5/4 (bet365)
Confirmation of full Fight Card:
Ilia Topuria (champion) v Justin Gaethje (interim champion) – Main Event
Alex Pereira v Ciryl Gane (to claim interim middleweight belt)
Sean O'Malley v Aiemann Zahabi
Josh Hokit v Derrick Lewis
Maurício Ruffy v Michael Chandler
Bo Nickal v Kyle Daukaus
Diego Lopes v Steve Garcia