On Saturday, the UFC made a major announcement during the UFC 326 broadcast regarding the upcoming White House event. The event takes place on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Jun. 14. It will feature a lightweight title clash between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje in the main event.
The historic event, titled ‘UFC Freedom 250,’ will feature six fights. This marks a shift from traditional cards, which include both prelim and main card portions.
The main event will serve as a title unification bout after Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett to win the interim lightweight championship. The situation arose after Topuria took a brief hiatus to address personal matters. Now he returns and aims to continue his dominance at 155 pounds.
In the co-main event, Alex Pereira will try to make history. He faces Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight championship. The UFC booked the bout because reigning heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall remains sidelined with an eye injury.
Pereira could become the first three-division champion in UFC history if he defeats Gane. ‘Poatan’ vacated his light heavyweight title to move up to heavyweight. Because of his success in two divisions, the promotion gave him an opportunity to face ‘Bon Gamin.’
The winner meet Aspinall in a title unification bout when he returns to the octagon.
Speculation about the headliner spread across social media after Dana White and President Donald Trump announced plans for the event. Since the announcement last year, many within the MMA community created their own mock fight cards.
Because the event celebrates America’s 250th anniversary, many expected the promotion to prioritize American fighter. However, White said that the matchmakers focused on booking the best fights possible. He added that the card would not require an American fighter in every bout.
UFC Announces Full UFC White House Card
The promotion also announced the remaining fights that will complete the UFC White House card.
In bantamweight action, former champion Sean O’Malley will face Aiemann Zahabi. ‘Suga’ earned a unanimous decision win over Song Yadong after back-to-back title losses to Merab Dvalishvili.
Zahabi, meanwhile, aims to continue his push toward a bantamweight title shot. The Canadian has defied expectations despite his age and has climbed the rankings at 135 pounds.
Full UFC White House Card:
Main Event –
Ilia Topuria (c) vs. Justin Gaethje (ic) – UFC Lightweight Championship
Co-Main Event –
Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane – Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship
Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi – Bantamweight
Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler – Lightweight
Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus – Middleweight
Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia – Featherweight
Notable Omissions from White House Card
Several notable fighters will not appear on the White House card, including Jon Jones and Conor McGregor.
Both men showed interest in fighting on the card after the original announcement. However, after months of speculation and negotiations, the UFC chose a different direction.
Instead, the promotion instead booked ‘Poatan’ against Gane as opposed to Jones. ‘Bones’ retired and later changed his mind last year. Because of that uncertainty, it’s unclear whether he plans to return.
McGregor’s absence was less surprising. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported that the promotion likely plans to save McGregor likely for later date. It is more logical to do so because they will be able to maximize gate revenue.
Breaking: UFC Announces White House Card