UFC White House card details: What to know about Freedom 250 fight date, time, tickets and more

UFC White House card details: What to know about Freedom 250 fight date, time, tickets and more originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

An unprecedented UFC event is set to be held in June.

After months of planning, UFC’s Freedom 250 event will be held on the South Lawn of the White House, bringing a unique spectacle to the U.S. capital in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

First announced in July 2025, plenty of planning from President Donald Trump, UFC CEO Dana White and others has culminated in an event that is expected to have a smaller crowd for security purposes, but will have a headliner lightweight fight between undisputed champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje.

Here’s everything to know about the UFC event at the White House.

MORE: What to know about UFC betting guidelines, tips, tricks and more

When is UFC White House?

The UFC’s event at the White House is scheduled for June 14, 2026.

While initial reports indicated the event was being targeted for July 4, logistical reasons later moved it up to June 14, when UFC fighters will go head-to-head on the White House’s South Lawn.

What time will UFC White House start?

UFC Freedom 250 is scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET start on June 14.

Prelims are scheduled for 4 p.m. ET, while the main card will begin at 8 p.m. ET, according to UFC.

UFC White House card

Here’s a full look at the scheduled fights for UFC Freedom 250.

Lightweight title bout: Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje

Favorite (per UFC): Topuria (-800)

The headliner at the White House will be a lightweight title matchup between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje.

Topuria remains unbeaten, a perfect 17-0-0, and is aiming to defend the lightweight belt after defeating Charles Oliveira in the summer of 2025 for the vacant 155-pound title. Gaethje is 27-5-0, and earned his title shot after defeating Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title. The American is 0-for-2 in previous shots at the undisputed 155-pound crown, losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira.

Heavyweight interim title bout: Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane

Favorite (per UFC): Even

In a matchup that carries even odds, per UFC, Brazil’s Alex Pereira is set to take on France’s Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight interim title.

Pereira has gone 13-3-0 in his career and is moving up to his third weight class in the UFC. He previously held the UFC middleweight and light heavyweight belts, recently vacating the 205 division. Gane is 13-2-0 (1 NC), with those two losses previously coming in title fights. The former interim heavyweight champion lost to Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones for the undisputed title, but has a chance to achieve interim status again.

The winner of the heavyweight interim title fight is expected to face Tom Aspinall, the current undisputed champion. Aspinall drew a no-contest against Gane in October of 2025 due to eye pokes from the Frenchman.

Bantamweight bout: Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi

Favorite (per UFC): O’Malley (-360)

In the event’s bantamweight bout, Sean O’Malley will take on Canada’s Aiemann Zahabi.

O’Malley owns a 19-3 (1 NC) career record and is a former bantamweight title holder. The American striker is coming off a win over Song Yadong in January. Zahabi stands at 14-2-0, riding a seven-fight win streak.

Heavyweight bout: Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis

Favorite (per UFC): Hokit (-310)

In a heavyweight bout, the 6-1 and 234-pound Josh Hokit will face the 6-3 and 263-pound Derrick Lewis.

Hokit will be coming in unbeaten at 9-0-0, fresh off his biggest win yet against former heavyweight title challenger Curtis Blaydes. Lewis is the UFC’s all-time knockout king with 16 KOs to his name. In total, he holds a record of 29-13-0 (1 NC).

Lightweight bout: Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler

Favorite (per UFC): Ruffy (-600)

For a lightweight bout, Brazilian star Mauricio Ruffy will take on Michael Chandler.

Ruffy enters at 13-2-0, while Chanlder is 23-10-0.

Middleweight bout: Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus

Favorite (per UFC): Nickal (-300)

Bo Nickal, the owner of an 8-1-0 record, will take on Kyle Daukaus, who has gone 17-4-0 (1 NC) in his career.

The two will meet in a middleweight bout, with Nickal standing at 6-1 and Daukaus at 6-3.

Featherweight bout: Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia

Favorite (per UFC): Lopes (-185)

One of seven scheduled fights at the White House will be a featherweight matchup between Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia.

Lopes, who is from Brazil, carries a 27-8-0 career record and stands at 5-11, while Garcia has gone 19-5-0 and stands at 6-foot.

UFC Freedom 250 ticket prices

Ticketing for UFC Freedom 250 won’t look like a typical event. There will be no general admission for the White House fights on the South Lawn, which are expected to be virtually invite-only, but there are ways created to watch from a nearby area for free.

White said in September 2025 that the seating capacity at UFC Freedom 250 would be limited due to security concerns, despite Trump previously estimating between 20,000 to 25,000 attendees. In February 2026, TKO Group Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel then said that there would be around 3,000 to 4,000 people in attendance.

In May, White said that the capacity for UFC Freedom 250 is expected to be 4,300 and “most of them will be military” invitees. The BBC also reported on May 7 that the remaining tickets to watch at the White House will be made up by “high rollers” who will have to pay around $1.5 million to watch the show as part of a luxury package.

However, White also shared details about plans to allow fans to watch for free from large screens at a nearby park to the White House, the Ellipse. White said that UFC will be giving away 85,000 tickets to watch at the Ellipse and people will have to register for the tickets. According to the UFC and Ticketmaster website, the window to request tickets lasted from Apr. 21-26.

“There’s a park that’s right there,” White said, per ESPN. “We’re gonna be ticketing 85,000 people in the Ellipse and the tickets are free. We’ll announce how we’re gonna be giving them away soon, but you should plan on going to Washington, D.C., for this event.”

Additionally, the Ellipse is expected to host a “fan fest” the day before the event, which will be headlined by the Zac Brown Band and will feature the ceremonial weigh-ins, meet and greets, on-stage entertainment, interactive experiences, and appearances from UFC athletes and other celebrities

The UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest on Saturday, June 13. Then, on Sunday, the Ellipse will include a live watch party of the fights being held on the South Lawn of the White House nearby.

How to watch UFC Freedom 250

UFC Freedom 250 is set to stream on Paramount+ on June 14.

Full details haven’t been announced, but in a February 2026 interview, TKO Group Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel also said the event would be simulcast on CBS and Paramount+, per ESPN.

Why is there a UFC fight at the White House?

The UFC fight at the White House is part of the America 250 celebrations from President Donald Trump.

In honor of the United States’ 250th birthday this summer, Trump announced in July 2025 that the UFC would hold an event on the White House grounds.

When is Donald Trump’s birthday?

It’s not just the America 250 celebrations that UFC Freedom 250 coincides with.

The event is also being held on Trump’s 80th birthday: June 14, 2026. That date also marks the Flag Day holiday in the United States.

Source link