Two of the biggest current UFC stars were beaten at UFC Freedom 250 when both Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira were halted in their respective title bouts.
Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) tasted defeat for the first time in MMA in Sunday’s headliner at the White House with a fourth-round corner stoppage TKO loss to Justin Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) in Washington DC. Just one fight prior, Pereira (13-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) had his heavyweight debut spoiled by Ciryl Gane (14-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC), who throttled the Brazilian for a second-round finish.
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Where does each man go from here? Let’s dig a little deeper below:
Alex Pereira
Pereira risked it for the glory of become the first fighter to hold a version of a UFC title in three weight classes, but it ended in disaster and now he has a big decision to make.
The discourse about whether “Poatan” should stay at heavyweight or move back down to light heavyweight, where he’s had his most career success, has already begun. Pereira weighed in for the fight at 251 pounds and looked a touch slower than normal, and obviously he had some trouble absorbing the power of a proven heavyweight contender in Gane.
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He spent several months bulking up to heavyweight, and it’s not a guarantee that the 38-year-old can just easily shed all that back off and make 205 pounds again without some consequences. Unless he can get a fight with Jon Jones, though, there’s not a ton of appealing option for him in the higher division. Josh Hokit? Meh.
That said, there’s not a plethora of riveting options at light heavyweight, either. He could challenge Carlos Ulberg for the belt he never lost once the New Zealander returns from ACL injury in 2027, but if he wins, then what? A trilogy with Magomed Ankalaev? Maybe a showdown with Paulo Costa if the Brazilian gets another win at the weight class? Not exactly box office blowouts.
Pereira just signed a new eight-fight UFC contract before this one, though, so he’s seemingly committed to this for the long-term. He’ll eventually be offered something, but perhaps some other bouts need to play out first because it’s hard to pinpoint a more logical direction.
Ilia Topuria
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 15: Ilia Topuria after loosing to Justin Gaethje in a lightweight title bout during UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House on June 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump is hosting a series of Ultimate Fighting Championship matches on his 80th birthday, which the White House is calling “a once-in-a-generation celebration of the American fighting spirit.” (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Of the two title fight losers on the night, Topuria’s future has a lot more flexibility in terms of what could be on the horizon.
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After having his undefeated record shattered in humbling fashion, Topuria has made it clear he’s coming for revenge and will be chasing a rematch against Gaethje. He should not get it immediately since he never defended the 155-pound belt, and with the amount of time he should probably take off paired with Gaethje debating retirement, he might not ever get it.
That doesn’t mean Topuria can’t become champion again, though. Some have suggested he drop back down to featherweight where he previously held gold. His weight cuts were toward the end of his stint in that division were ugly, though, and that seems like a bad move.
It wasn’t size that was the determining factor in the defeat to Gaethje. His lack of experience in that type of gruelling fight combined with an arrogant approach that he’d simple wash Gaethje out of the cage early played a far bigger role. He took some hard lessons in that regard, but if he can grow from them, it’s not his talent or skillset that are in doubt.
The clear next move for Topuria is to, after an appropriate amount of time off, settle his feud with Paddy Pimblett, who was happy to dance on his grave in the aftermath of the fight.
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Pimblett is currently scheduled to face Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 329 on July 11 in Las Vegas. Regardless of whether he wins or loses, a matchup with Topuria makes a whole lot of sense now that “El Matador” doesn’t hold any form of UFC gold.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC White House matchmaker: Who’s next for Ilia Topuria, Alex Pereira?
