UFC Freedom 250: Date, start time, fight card, odds and how to watch White House event

UFC Freedom 250 takes place at the White House this weekend in what promises to be a truly unique and historic sporting spectacle.

The much-talked-about event is being held outside on the South Lawn of the famous office and residence of the sitting US president in Washington, D.C., where an octagon has been specially constructed beneath a 92-foot steel arch weighing 600 tonnes and decorated in the colours of the American flag.

Around 4,300 spectators will be in attendance in temporary seating as the UFC heads to the White House to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence, while also marking the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump, who will watch on at ringside.

The event – which has reportedly cost around $60million (£44.7m) to stage – looks set to go ahead despite a lawsuit filed by the Public Integrity Project last weekend in District of Columbia federal court, seeking an emergency injunction.

While not quite as star-studded as initially hoped, the card features plenty of intriguing fights and is headlined by the undefeated Ilia Topuria returning to defend his UFC lightweight title against two-time interim champion Justin Gaethje.

Former light-heavyweight and middleweight champion Alex Pereira moves up to heavyweight to battle Ciryl Gane for the interim crown, while ex-bantamweight titlist ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley takes on Aiemann Zahabi as he continues on the comeback trail following his successive losses to Merab Dvalishvili.

Derrick Lewis was added to the White House card by UFC president Dana White at Trump’s request, with Josh Hokit his opponent in another heavyweight showdown.

Michael Chandler is the underdog as he faces Brazilian lightweight Mauricio Ruffy, after a middleweight tussle between Bo Nickal and Kyle Daukaus.

The seven-fight card opens with Diego Lopes battling Steve Garcia after his latest unsuccessful featherweight title challenge against Alexander Volkanovski.

In addition to the 4,300 fight fans on the South Lawn, tens of thousands more people are expected to watch UFC Freedom 250 on giant screens at The Ellipse – a 52-acre park that lies just outside the White House, where entrance is free but tickets are required.

UFC Freedom 250 takes place on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Sunday June 14, 2026.

It is the first professional sporting event ever to be staged at the White House.

The event gets under way at 8pm ET on Sunday night, which is 5pm PT and 7pm CT. It’s a familiar late-night affair for British fight fans, where it will be 1am BST on Monday morning.

There are no prelim bouts scheduled at the White House, early or otherwise, with the extended main card instead comprised of seven total fights.

Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje – lightweight title bout

Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane – interim heavyweight title bout

Sean O’Malley vs Aiemann Zahabi – bantamweight bout

Josh Hokit vs Derrick Lewis – heavyweight bout

Mauricio Ruffy vs Michael Chandler – lightweight bout

Bo Nickal vs Kyle Daukaus – middleweight bout

Diego Lopes vs Steve Garcia – featherweight bout

TV channel and live stream: UFC Freedom 250 is being shown live in the USA via Paramount+.

In the UK, coverage is available on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max from 1am.

Justin Gaethje to win: 7/2

Alex Pereira to win: 9/10