Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje, Pereira Next Best Fights After UFC Freedom 250 Results at White House
Justin Gaethje finally captured the undisputed UFC lightweight title with a fourth-round TKO win over Ilia Topuria to close out UFC Freedom 250 from the White House.
Gaethje has long been a fan favorite in the sport. His run as "BMF" champion highlighted his penchant for fan-friendly violence. Now, he has the legitimacy that comes with being the undisputed champion.
At the same time, it's a stunning loss for Ilia Topuria. He was on an impressive hot streak that included knockout wins over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira.
He'll be looking to pick up the pieces and get back on the winning track quickly. Here, we'll take a look at what could be on the horizon for both main event combatants and fellow UFC Freedom 250 star Alex Pereira.
Gaethje's Best Next Fights
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Justin Gaethje finally summited the mountain to become the lightweight champion. Now, it's about maximizing his legacy and creating a few more massive events.
Gaethje did mention wanting to retire by mid-2027 ahead of this fight. That isn't likely to change now that he's champion. He's put a lot of miles on the odometer and the 37-year-old has never shied away from a fight.
So regardless of the actual lightweight hierarchy, the best possible opponent probably comes from the July 11 welterweight bout between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway.
Gaethje already has history with Holloway. He lost to Blessed on a last-second knockout to lose the BMF belt. He doesn't have any history with McGregor, but one of the biggest draws in UFC history against a fan favorite like Gaethje sells itself.
The more traditional path would see Gaethje give Arman Tsarukyan a crack at the belt. He's on a five-fight win streak with victories over Charles Oliveira and Dan Hooker.
Of course, there's history between Gaethje and Oliveira that could see him skip the line. Oliveira beat Gaethje for the ligthweight title in 2022. The Highlight could get a full circle moment if the Brazilian gets a title after beating Max Holloway in March.
Topuria's Best Next Fights
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We learn a lot about a fighter by the way they bounce back from their first loss. After a shocking upset to Justin Gaethje, we're about to find out about Ilia Topuria.
The first question he'll have to answer is whether he wants to stay at lightweight. Topuria is still unbeaten at 145 pounds and a rematch with Alexander Volkanovski would be the quickest way for him to become a champion again.
But getting back down to 145 at 29 might not sound appealing, especially given the fact that he has shown he can be a champion at lightweight.
That makes a matchup against a rising lightweight contender the most likely possibility. Benoit Saint Denis and Paddy Pimblett are scheduled to fight on July 11. The winner would make a lot of sense for Topuria.
Both Saint Denis and Pimblett have built some recognition in the division, but would be heavy underdogs against the now former champion.
The best overall fight would be Arman Tsarukyan. The 29-year-old has a strong case to be the No. 1 contender, but could get passed over for more marketable options.
If that's the case, a bout wih Tsarukyan could be set up with the winner becoming the new favorite to become the champion.
Pereira's Best Next Fights
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Alex Pereira came up short in his bid to become a three-division champion. Now he has a huge decision to make.
He can cut back down to 205 pounds. At 38 years old, he doesn't have a lot of time to fight at an elite level and he would immediately be a threat to get his title back.
On the other hand, he could stick around at heavyweight and prove he really can become the champion at heavyweight.
A move to light heavyweight could mean fighting Carlos Ulberg for the title. Ulberg won the vacated title over Jiri Prochazka in April and has yet to schedule his first defense.
The 14-1 New Zealand native trains at the same gym as Israel Adesanya so there is already a built-in storyline there.
However, there's also real history between Pereira and Ankalaev. The two split a series of light heavyweight title fights before Pereira left to chase heavyweight glory.
A rubber match would be huge and set Pereira up to fight Ulberg later.
If Pereira wants to stick around at heavyweight then he'll probably need to win a title eliminator to get another title shot. Sergei Pavlovich is on a three-fight winning streak and continues to pile up knockouts.
He'd be willing to exchange with Pereira and give him a chance to have a bounce-back fight in his new division.
