Posted on: March 7, 2026, 10:12h.
Last updated on: March 7, 2026, 10:36h.
- Lightweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje announced
- Gaethje won interim lightweight title with memorable win over Paddy Pimblett in UFC 324 in January
- Special event on the lawn of the White House will celebrate America’s 250th birthday
The UFC made it official during UFC 326 in Las Vegas a short while ago – an epic lightweight division title fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje will headline the White House card June 14, called UFC Freedom 250.
Interim Heavyweight Title Fight
Also that night, Alex Pereira will fight Cyril Gane for the interim heavyweight title, with Tom Aspinall out for the foreseeable future with a serious eye injury. Sean O’Malley will fight Aiemann Zahabi, Michael Chandler will fight Mauricio Ruffy, Bo Nickal takes on Kyle Daukaus, while Diego Lopes will fight Steve Garcia, to round out the card.
So, no Conor McGregor.
We talked about the possibility of Topuria versus Gaethje in our previous coverage.
Gaethje just beaten Paddy Pimblett in a memorable fight at UFC 324 in January and is now interim title holder. Drew O’Dell, a spokesperson from BetMGM, said UFC 324 was the highest handle UFC event of all time, beating out UFC 312, the previous record holder.
No McGregor
Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria announced he was stepping away from UFC late in 2025 to deal with a personal matter – which ended up being a marriage separation, and accusations of extortion by Topuria.
Justin Gaethje helped attract the most betting action in the past year at UFC 324, and if the American faces Ilia Topuria on the South Lawn, I’d expect betting on the card to surpass his previous one. UFC betting continues to rise, and placing an event at the White House on Flag Day will only continue this rapid growth,” said Ethan Useloff, Sports Trader at Fanatics Sportsbook.
Octagon on the White House Lawn
Renderings have shown the Octagon on the lawn White House in the background, surrounded by 5,000 seats. There’s also going to be viewing in a park, with multiple TV screens, that can fit 85,000 people, with a stage, music, where people can lounge on the grass and watch the fights.
TKO Group CEO and Executive Chairman Ari Emanuel went on “The Pat McAfee Show” in February and said the card would have a total of six or seven fights, less than usual.
Betting Lines
Sportsbooks were fast out of the gate with opening odds. At DraftKings, Topuria is a big betting favourite, at -455, with Gaethje at +350. Pereira is -142, Gane +120; O’Malley is -345, Zahabi +275; Ruffy is -410, Chandler +320; Nickal -225, Daukaus +185; Lopes -198, Garcia +164.
At Caesars Sportsbook, Topuria is at -600, with Gaethje at +380.
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