UFC Freedom 250 is in the books.
On Sunday, the world’s largest MMA promotion hosted the first-ever professional sporting event to be held on the grounds of the White House. In the headliner, Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje each sought to unify the lightweight title, while Alex Pereira sought to become a historic three-division champion in the co-main.
Five other fights filled the card, ranging from former title fighters defending their rankings to up-and-comers looking for a statement win.
That being said, here are the winners and losers of a momentous card…
Gaethje was supposed to be nothing but another lamb for Topuria to slaughter. After all, he had lost in his first unifier against Khabib Nurmagomedov, then suffered some untimely defeats that prevented him from progressing further up the ladder.
January’s fight against Paddy Pimblett was thought by some to herald a changing of the guard, but Gaethje proved that “there are levels to this game”. He persevered for a unanimous decision win and walked into the White House as a massive underdog, but he was unfazed.
Sunday’s war came down to who would wilt first, and Gaethje was not that man. At 37 years of age, he may not have much time left in MMA, but he should savor this moment to the fullest. Perhaps his mother may want to see him reign for a little while.
Derrick Lewis was a big loser at Freedom 250, gassing himself out against Josh Hokit – right before Donald Trump, who had wanted to see him. Michael Chandler, however, may have come out as a bigger one after being destroyed in one round by Mauricio Ruffy.
The former Bellator champion had been clearly miffed at not getting to fight Conor McGregor, as would have happened almost five years ago. If, however, fans were expecting an impassioned performance borne out of frustration, they were sorely mistaken.
Chandler was outstruck from the first bell, offering little to no resistance to his younger opponent’s onslaught. His takedown game was completely neutralized, and he became more than a sitting duck.
That is now loss number four, and at 40 years of age, Chandler may get the dreaded “Liddell special”: retire now in exchange for a desk job.
This writer was among those who doubted the quality of Freedom 250’s fights when they were first announced. Alas, it seems those on the other camp got the last laugh.
For the first time ever, every card ended in some sort of T/KO. Whole main cards have had every fight end in a finish before, most notably UFC 261, but an entire event? That is unprecedented.
From Diego Lopes to Hokit, and from Sean O’Malley to Gaethje, there was much violence, explosivity, and brevity to be seen. Those in attendance, whether they be cageside at the South Lawn or at the lawns of The Ellipse, surely got a treat.
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Speaking of Lopes and O’Malley, they are still standing strong after Sunday, much to their detractors’ chagrin.
Steve Garcia had been on a hot streak, finishing six of his last seven fights. He did well in the first round, only to be outmaneuvered during the second and pay the price. At 34 years of age, he may have blown his one chance of entering the divisional elite.
Meanwhile, Aiemann Zahabi had a shocking run to contendership as went deep into his 30s. Alas, he ran into a younger and more experienced more explosive opponent. Now, nearing 40 years of age, he may be starting a massive decline.
With its White House card done, what is next for the UFC?
There are still two events this month. In the first, which comes this Saturday at the Apex, Kyoji Horiguchi and Manel Kape run it back in a clash of flyweight contenders. After that, Rafael Fiziev returns to Azerbaijan to defend his ranking against Manuel Torres.
Those events may not have cards as stacked as Sunday’s, but they are filled with hungry prospects looking for a statement win. Perhaps they may turn out to be “bangers” for the few who dare to seek them out…
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