The UFC has officially unveiled the main card for its upcoming event at the White House, scheduled for June 14, 2026. Titled UFC Freedom 250, the event is being held as part of the celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The promotion confirmed six bouts for the card, including two championship fights. In the main event, Ilia Topuria will unify the lightweight title against interim 155lbs champion Justin Gaethje. The co-main event features an interim heavyweight title clash between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane.
The card also includes a middleweight bout between Bo Nickal and Kyle Daukaus. Nickal, a former NCAA wrestling champion, has previously maintained a public relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Additional matchups on the card include Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi, Michael Chandler vs. Mauricio Ruffy, and Diego Lopes against Steve Garcia.
According to the promotion, planning for the historic event has been underway for more than six months. UFC CEO Dana White noted that assembling the card required extensive last-minute work from the organization’s matchmaking team to finalize the lineup.
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According to the promotion, planning for the historic event has been underway for more than six months. White noted that assembling the card required extensive last-minute work from the organization’s matchmaking team to finalize the lineup.
“This card was a lot more difficult to put together than we had anticipated, but we got it done,” White said to Joe Rogan on Saturday during the UFC 326 broadcast. “A fight fell out last night. The matchmaking team was literally in the office all night last night working on this thing.”
Dana White Breaks Silence On Absence Of Jon Jones And Conor McGregor From White House Event
Two high-profile fighters who previously expressed interest in competing at the 2026 White House event will not appear on the announced card: Jon Jones and Conor McGregor.
Moreover, Dana White revealed at the UFC 326 post-fight presser that Jones was never considered for the event despite recent public comments suggesting he was in negotiations.
The UFC CEO said, “I’m not saying they weren’t talking to Jon Jones, and that Jon Jones wasn’t interested in the fight. What was even crazier was Jon Jones came out and was like, ‘I’m in negotiations right now for the White House card,’ after I had already sent a text to his lawyer saying, ‘Never going to happen ever.’”
He continued, “Never, ever, ever — which I told you guys 100,000 times — was Jon Jones ever even remotely in my mind to fight at the White House. He’s got arthritis in his hips. Apparently, he’s had doctors say that he needs a hip replacement.”
White added that the promotion remains in discussions with McGregor about a future return. “We are definitely talking to Conor.”
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For the unversed, McGregor has not competed in the UFC since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg during his bout against Dustin Poirier. Meanwhile, Jones retired from MMA last year and vacated the heavyweight title without ever unifying it with Tom Aspinall.
