UFC Freedom 250 Fight Card Announcement Winners and Losers

At long last, we finally know who will be fighting at the White House this summer.

The UFC White House event, scheduled for June 14 as part of the USA's 250th-anniversary celebrations, was first broached by President Donald Trump nearly a year ago. During Saturday's UFC 326 broadcast on Paramount+, the entire lineup for the event was revealed after months of planning.

In the main event, undisputed UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria will return from a year-long layoff to take on interim champion Justin Gaethje. In the co-headliner, Alex Pereira will make a historic bid for UFC gold in a third division, taking on Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title. Those are the only two title fights on the bill, but the lineup will be rounded out by a handful of interesting and relevant matchups.

In the final non-title fight of the night, former bantamweight champ Sean O'Malley will take on rising contender Aiemann Zahabi. Before that, Mauricio Ruffy will take on Michael Chandler at lightweight, Bo Nickal will battle Kyle Daukaus at middleweight, and Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia will duke it out at featherweight.

There's lots to unpack here.

Let's get into it.

Loser: Fans Expecting Jon Jones and Conor McGregor

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From the moment the UFC's event at the White House was announced, it was clear that we were in for some special fights. Given the significance of the event, many expected Jon Jones and Conor McGregor to be involved. It made sense. Jones is one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, and McGregor is the biggest star the sport has ever produced. Both guys could have headlined the event, and both repeatedly expressed interest in doing so.

In the end, neither will participate.

Jones, a former two-division champion who would have made a perfect opponent for Alex Pereira, could evidently not be coaxed back to the Octagon—at least not for whatever the UFC was offering. McGregor, who could have headlined the card against pretty much anybody, is seemingly being saved for a later date.

It's not surprising that neither guy ended up on the lineup. They both come with massive price tags and are known to be stubborn negotiators. That being said, it's a little disappointing to see after all the talk we heard from them.

Winner: Justin Gaethje

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Justin Gaethje last fought in late January, when he battled England's Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title. Heading into the matchup, he was quite clear that he would retire if he wasn't successful.

Thankfully for Gaethje fans, he ended up winning the interim belt, keeping his career going in the process. He's got to be pretty happy with the way things have worked out. Not only is he now set to challenge Ilia Topuria for undisputed gold—something that has eluded him throughout his Hall of Fame-worthy career—but he'll do it at the White House. It will be an extremely tough challenge, as Topuria is arguably the best fighter alive right now, but it's an incredible opportunity.

Things could have easily unfolded differently. Gaethje could have lost to Pimblett and retired with the taste of defeat in his mouth. Topuria could have been matched up with welterweight champ Islam Makhachev in a much bigger fight instead. But none of that happened. Instead, Gaethje will conclude his legendary career by headlining one of the biggest and most unique cards in UFC history opposite a generational talent.

Winner: Alex Pereira

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It's no surprise that Alex Pereira will be fighting at the White House. The former middleweight and light heavyweight champion is one of the biggest stars on the UFC roster right now, and has certainly earned this kind of opportunity after headlining UFC 300 in 2024 and stepping up for multiple short-notice fights. The big question was who he would fight if he was booked for the card.

When Pereira suddenly vacated the UFC light heavyweight title last week, it greatly shortened the list of potential opponents. His decision to give up the title could only mean one thing: that he was headed up to heavyweight to seek out a third title. With undisputed champ Tom Aspinall out of action with a bad eye injury, that meant Pereira would surely be battling another top contender for the interim belt.

As we've covered, many fans were hoping he would be matched up with Jones, who is a former two-division champion himself. Unfortunately, despite Jones' clear interest, the UFC couldn't make it happen, and Pereira was matched up with Gane in an interim title fight.

On the surface, this may seem like a bummer for Pereira. Jones is, after all, a much bigger name and far more accomplished fighter than Gane. Beating him would mean more than beating 10 fighters of Gane's ilk. However, this is most likely a blessing in disguise for Pereira.

While he will still be facing an uphill battle against the hulking Gane, it seems like a far more winnable matchup. Where Jones is a high-level wrestler with plenty of other skills to fall back on, Gane is kind of a one-trick pony, with little more than striking to rely on. As one of the best strikers in MMA history, Pereira has a real shot. He's probably still going to be a slight underdog heading into the fight, but he would have been a massive one against Jones, and almost certainly would have had his dreams of three-division glory dashed by the MMA legend.

Loser: Fans Expecting a Deeper Card

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Let's not beat around the bush. Outside the top two fights, the White House lineup falls terribly short of what was promised to us.

Donald Trump told us the UFC was planning a card with around seven title fights. Dana White never explicitly confirmed that plan, but made plenty of grandiose claims himself.

Promises, promises...

While the newly announced card looks great, it doesn't feel special. It feels like standard fare for a major numbered card, and it certainly falls short of the stacked UFC 300 and UFC 200 events, and probably several of the promotion's shows in New York City, too. Remember UFC 205 and UFC 217?

Let's take it fight by fight, starting with Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi.

O'Malley is a great fighter and probably the biggest star in the bantamweight division. It makes sense he's on the bill. Zahabi, however, is one of the least compelling contenders in the division right now, despite a great win streak. He just doesn't seem like White House material, and it's not like there weren't better choices available. Cory Sandhagen has been chomping at the bit to fight O'Malley, and he's a much bigger name and way more interesting stylistic challenge. It was right there!

Then there's Michael Chandler vs. Mauricio Ruffy.

Poor, poor Chandler. After spending years waiting for a blockbuster showdown with Conor McGregor, he has instead been matched up with Ruffy, whose style is frequently compared to McGregor. Let's call a spade a spade. Ruffy is a much less valuable opponent for Chandler, and at this point, probably a much tougher challenge. It feels like a consolation prize—and one that is likely to explode in Chandler's face.

Now, let's move onto Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus.

It's not surprising to see Nickal on the lineup. He's an established Donald Trump supporter and one of the most talked-about prospects in the middleweight division. His place on the card makes sense. But again, the UFC matchmakers have some explaining to do when it comes to his opponent. With respect to Kyle Daukaus, he is a fighter that only the most hardcore fans will recognize. On a card advertised as one of the best of all time, he is about the least interesting option for Nickal. And Colby Covington—Donald Trump's biggest fan—was right there, welcoming a grudge match with the middleweight prospect. Why didn't they go for that matchup? It would have been so much more interesting.

And last but not least: Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia at featherweight.

Ok, this is an incredible matchup between two high-level finishers, but still, it falls short of the kind of fights we were expecting for this card. It would make a great Fight Night headliner, but as the opening bout for the White House, it just doesn't feel right.

Nobody would complain if any of these fights were booked on other cards, but in this setting, they're all pretty underwhelming, and, unfortunately, further evidence of a recent trend in lazy, uninspired UFC matchmaking.