White House To Host First Professional Sporting Event As UFC Announces Title Bouts
The event is being organised as part of celebrations marking 250 years of American independence.
The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) has announced two championship fights for its upcoming event at the White House in Washington, DC, scheduled for June 14. The card, called UFC Freedom Fights 250, will be led by a lightweight title clash between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje.
The event will take place on the South Lawn of the White House and is being organised as part of celebrations marking 250 years of American independence. The date also coincides with US President Donald Trump's 80th birthday. UFC officials confirmed the matchups during the broadcast of UFC 326.
Topuria vs Gaethje headlines card
Topuria (17-0), a 29-year-old Spanish-Georgian fighter, will defend his lightweight belt against Gaethje in the main event. Widely regarded as one of the sport's most dangerous knockout artists, Topuria captured the 155-pound (70 kg) title last June with a first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira after moving up from featherweight.
Later in 2025, Topuria announced he would step away briefly to deal with personal matters. With those issues resolved, he now returns for his first title defence and could consider a future move to welterweight.
Gaethje (27-5), 37, will get his third chance to win the UFC's undisputed lightweight title. He previously fought for the belt in 2020 and 2022 but lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Oliveira.
In January, Gaethje captured the interim championship by defeating Britain's Paddy Pimblett via unanimous decision in Las Vegas while Topuria was inactive. A two-time interim champion and 18-year veteran of the sport, Gaethje trains in Denver and grew up in Safford, Arizona.
Pereira eyes historic third belt
The co-main event features Pereira (13-3) taking on Gane (13-2) for the interim heavyweight title. Pereira will attempt to become the first fighter to win UFC championships in three different weight divisions.
The Brazilian fighter previously held titles at middleweight and light heavyweight. He won the 185-pound (83 kg) championship in 2022 with a knockout victory over Israel Adesanya and captured the light heavyweight belt the following year by defeating Jiri Prochazka.
Pereira vacated the 205-pound (92 kg) title last month to pursue a third belt at heavyweight.
Gane, a former interim champion from France, last fought in October when his bout against undisputed heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall ended in a no contest. Aspinall suffered accidental eye pokes during the fight and later required surgery on both eyes.
The winner of Pereira vs Gane is expected to face Aspinall in a unification bout once the British champion returns, although he has not confirmed a timeline for his comeback.
More fights on the card
Four more bouts have been scheduled for the six-fight event:
- Sean O'Malley vs Aiemann Zahabi (bantamweight)
- Mauricio Ruffy vs Michael Chandler (lightweight)
- Bo Nickal vs Kyle Daukaus (middleweight)
- Diego Lopes vs Steve Garcia (featherweight)
Historic setting for the UFC
The White House has previously hosted recreational sporting activities, but the UFC card will be the first professional live sporting event held on its grounds.
The promotion is expected to spend around $60 million on the event. UFC president Dana White said the setup will allow about 5,000 spectators on the South Lawn, while another 85,000 people could watch from a nearby park known as the Ellipse.
Dana White also said tickets for the South Lawn will not be sold to the public. Around 1,000 seats are expected to be reserved for members of the US military.