This coming Saturday, June 13th, 2026, the UFC will be presenting a monumental show from the White House. The event will celebrate 250 years of our nation’s history, hence the UFC Freedom 250 name instead of the traditional numbered events. With that being said, let’s take a look at how I think this Saturday will turn out.
UFC Freedom 250 is a special event that will not have any preliminary fights. There will be 7 fights showcased on the night, all of which will be considered main-card action. Starting the night will be Featherweight standouts, Diego Lopes (27-8) and Steve Garcia (19-5). Lopes is certainly the more proven of the two, coming off back-to-back title losses against Alexander Volkanovski. Garcia, on the other hand, is riding a seven-fight win streak, but Lopes will certainly be his toughest test to date.
Prediction: Diego Lopes over Steve Garcia
Up next, we have a middleweight showdown between wrestling phenom Bo Nickal(8-1) and Kyle Daukaus(17-4). Daukaus is a veteran with wins over solid fighters, such as Michal Pereira, Gerald Meershart, and Eryk Anders. Bo Nickal, on the other hand, has not been tested too much in his brief fighting career and is coming off a loss to Renier de Ridder, where he did not look too good, but is looking to bounce back.
Prediction: Bo Nickal over Kyle Daukaus
The third fight of UFC Freedom 250 will take place in the lightweight division, pitting Fighting Nerds standout Mauricio Ruffy (13-2) against MMA legend Michael Chandler(23-10). Ruffy had looked great in the UFC until suffering his first loss to lightweight contender Benoit St Denis. Ruffy followed that up with a bounce-back knockout win against Rafeal Fiziev. Chandler, on the other hand, has not won a fight since 2022 due to waiting for Conor McGregor to come back to fighting, all for the fight never to happen.
Prediction: Mauricio Ruffy over Michael Chandler
Now we move to our first of two heavyweight fights, starting with UFC newcomer Josh Hokit(9-0) taking on fan favorite Derrick Lewis(29-13). Hokit hasn’t lost a fight in his MMA career and has been with the company since August of last year after earning a contract on Dana Whites Contender Series. He was just recently added to the UFC Freedom 250 card after a standout bout with veteran Curtis Blaydes.
Prediction: Josh Hokit over Derrick Lewis
Following that will be a Bantamweight contender showdown between former Champion Sean O’Malley(19-3) and Aiemann Zahabi(14-2). After losing back-to-back fights to Merab Dvalishvili, O’Malley was able to secure a win in a close fight with Song Yadong, who he himself is coming off a recent win from UFC Macau. Zahabi has wins over veterans such as Marlon Vera and Jose Aldo, but this will be his toughest task yet.
Prediction: Sean O’Malley over Aimann Zahabi
Moving to the co-main event and our second heavyweight clash of UFC Freedom 250, we have Alex Pereira(13-2) taking on Cyril Gane(13-2-1 NC) for the interim heavyweight title while we wait for current champion Tom Aspinall to return to the octagon. Pereira is moving up to heavyweight for the first time and will be looking to make history as the first fighter to win a title in three different weight classes.
Prediction: Alex Pereira over Ciryl Gane
To finish up the night, UFC 250 Freedom will be closed out with the current lightweight champion Ilia Topuria(17-0) taking on UFC legend Justin Gaethje(27-5). This will be Gaethje’s third title shot and possibly his last. Topuria has yet to lose in his UFC career and has looked better each fight, and is amassing a resume that is one of the best we have seen in recent memory.
Prediction: Ilia Topuria over Justin Gaethje
It can’t be overstated how unique this upcoming card is looking. Not only is it being held at the White House, but it is also a seven-fight main card-only presentation, featuring some of the biggest stars of the sport. Two title fights, one of which may have a history-making performance, as well as several up-and-coming fighters being featured. This Saturday will be a must-watch show for the UFC and something we may never see again.
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