UFC Freedom 250
The poster for UFC Freedom 250
Promotion	Ultimate Fighting Championship
Date	June 14, 2026 (2026-06-14)
Venue	White House
City	Washington, D.C., United States
Event chronology
UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs. Bonfim UFC Freedom 250 UFC Fight Night 279

UFC Freedom 250 (also known as UFC White House) is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that is scheduled to take place on June 14, 2026, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., United States.^[1][2] The event's name is a reference to the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence.^[3]

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, the UFC plans to hold a historic mixed martial arts event on the South Lawn of the White House in June 2026.^[1] While initial reports suggested a July 4th date, the event was later rescheduled for June due to logistical reasons.^[5] The weigh-ins are expected to take place at the Lincoln Memorial.^[2]

The event will represent the promotion's third visit to Washington, D.C., and first since UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik in December 2019.^[6] During a speech at Naval Station Norfolk on October 6, 2025, President Trump announced that the event would take place on June 14, 2026, coinciding with his 80th birthday, as well as the Flag Day holiday.^[7] The card is expected to air on Paramount+, with a limited number of preliminary bouts also broadcast on CBS.^[8]

The event was first announced by President Donald Trump on July 3, 2025, during a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds:^[9]

Does anybody watch UFC? The great Dana White. We’re going to have a UFC fight on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there. Dana’s going to do it. Dana’s great, one of a kind. We’re going to have a UFC fight, a championship fight, like full fight, 20, 25,000 people and we’re going to do that as part of 250 also.

On August 29, 2025, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed via social media that plans for the event had been finalized, stating, "We had the meeting at the White House... The White House fight is on."^[10] The announcement followed President Trump's remarks at the rally, where he referenced his long-standing friendship with White. Trump has frequently attended UFC events in recent years, including UFC 316 in New Jersey, where several fighters greeted him cageside.^[9]

The event name, UFC Freedom 250, was formally announced during the UFC 326 broadcast on March 7, 2026.^[11]

In a September 11, 2025 interview, White stated that the seating capacity would be under 5,000 due to security concerns, a significant reduction from Trump’s earlier estimate of 20,000 to 25,000 attendees. In a February 2026 interview, TKO Group Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel stated that there would be 3,000 to 4,000 people in attendance.^[12] Approximately 1,000 seats are reportedly being reserved for members of the military.^[13] White also mentioned plans to install large screens at The Ellipse capable of hosting up to 85,000 spectators for a public viewing experience.^[14] He later announced that the 85,000 tickets for the viewing area would be given away for free.^[15] The venue is also expected to host a fan fest the day before, 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.^[16]

Department of Homeland Security officials told TMZ that the event is going to feature Level 1 Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) security measures for the card happening on the south lawn. The fan fest event, which is happening on June 13, will also feature SEAR 1 level security. Typically events that feature that level of security have multiple agencies monitoring and assistance could include explosive detection canine teams, cyber risk assessments, venue screening, field intelligence teams, air security and tactical operations support, including a no-drone zone, ground security as well as screening and surveillance along with security checkpoints.^[17]

The promotion is expected to cover the full cost of the event, including roughly $700,000 to restore the South Lawn after use, and no public tickets will be made available.^[18][19] In January 2026, it was reported that no taxpayer funding is being sought, and the overall expense of the event is projected to exceed the $21 million budget required to stage UFC 306's Sphere show in September 2024.^[20][21] In February 2026, it was estimated the cost rose to $60 million.^[22] TKO president Mark Shapiro stated that the event is not expected to turn a profit, with the goal being to recoup approximately half of the total cost through sponsors and new partnerships.^[23]

The UFC announced that Crypto.com would fund a US$1 million cryptocurrency bonus for the event, intended to reward the top performance on the card. The promotion has not specified whether the award could also apply to a standout fight. The initiative was introduced as part of Crypto.com's ten‑year anniversary and reflects the company's ongoing sponsorship agreement with the UFC.^[24]

Marc Ratner, the UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, revealed that because the White House grounds are federal property, the District of Columbia Combat Sports Commission would not regulate the event. The UFC was then expected to self‑regulate, as the District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation is responsible for oversight of such events within the district.^[25]

On March 16, the District of Columbia Combat Sports Commission announced that outcomes of the fights in this event could not be recognized on the athletes’ official records as the promotion wasn't going to pay a $100 permit to hold the event.^[26] In turn, the UFC announced that the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC), which oversees boxing and MMA in the U.S., will be on hand to "serve as an independent third party to advise on the regulatory operations" of the event. "As the event is being held on federal property, there is no requirement for the UFC to select a state athletic commission to oversee the event," ABC president Timothy Shipman said in a release. "The UFC expresses its commitment to ensuring that this event is among the most thoroughly regulated in the history of the sport and has requested that the ABC serve as an independent third party to assist in assembling the most qualified group of judges, referees and inspectors in the world.^[27]

In a February 2026 interview, Ari Emanuel said the event would feature six or seven fights and be simulcast on CBS and Paramount+.^[12] Dana White stated at the UFC 326 pre-fight press conference on March 5, 2026, that the full card would be announced during the event's broadcast, and the UFC went on to reveal it during the show.^[28]

A UFC Lightweight Championship title unification bout between current champion and former UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria and current two-time interim champion (also a former WSOF Lightweight Champion) Justin Gaethje is scheduled to headline the event.^[29]

An interim UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between former two-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira (who also previously held the UFC Middleweight Championship and the Glory Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Championship titles in kickboxing) and former interim Heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane is scheduled to serve as the co-main event. Pereira vacated his title in April in order to move up and challenge for the interim heavyweight title.^[30] Current champion Tom Aspinall is unable to compete following an eye injury suffered during his title defense against Gane in October 2025 at UFC 321.^[31]

The following fights are expected to complete the fight card:^[32]

• A bantamweight bout between former UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O'Malley and Aiemann Zahabi, who enters the bout on a seven‑UFC-fight winning streak.^[33]
• A lightweight bout featuring Maurício Ruffy and former three-time Bellator Lightweight World Champion (also former UFC lightweight title challenger) Michael Chandler.
• A middleweight bout between three-time NCAA Division I National Wrestling Champion Bo Nickal and Kyle Daukaus.
• A featherweight bout between former featherweight title challenger Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia, who has won his past seven UFC fights.^[34]
• A heavyweight bout between former heavyweight title challenger Derrick Lewis and Josh Hokit, who is currently undefeated with a 9–0 record. The pairing was the latest addition to the card, which was added right after Hokit's win at UFC 327 on April 11 on a direct request by Trump to see Lewis at the event.^[35]

Dana White stated during the post-fight press conference for UFC 326 in March 2026 that, although there had been discussions between the promotion and Jon Jones, a former two-time UFC Light Heavyweight and one-time Heavyweight Champion, he was never considered as a potential headliner for the event.^[36] Days later, Jones disputed White's comments, stating that he had been in negotiations with the UFC in the days leading up to the announcement.^[37] He also publicly requested his release from the promotion.^[38]

In addition, Topuria and his manager stated that he had been offered current UFC Welterweight Champion (also former lightweight champion) Islam Makhachev as a potential opponent before the bout with Gaethje was finalized.^[39] According to Topuria, he selected Makhachev as his preferred opponent and expressed interest in moving up to challenge for the welterweight title in an attempt to become the first three-division champion in UFC history, but Makhachev informed UFC officials that a injury prevented him from competing.^[40]

Country singer Zac Brown is expected to perform the U.S. national anthem at the event, marking the first time since UFC double-digits events that the anthem will be performed live on a fight card.^[41]

Fight card (Paramount+)
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Lightweight	Ilia Topuria (c)	vs.	Justin Gaethje (ic)				[a]
Heavyweight	Alex Pereira	vs.	Ciryl Gane				[b]
Bantamweight	Sean O'Malley	vs.	Aiemann Zahabi
Heavyweight	Josh Hokit	vs.	Derrick Lewis
Lightweight	Maurício Ruffy	vs.	Michael Chandler
Middleweight	Bo Nickal	vs.	Kyle Daukaus
Featherweight	Diego Lopes	vs.	Steve Garcia

^[42]

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