UFC White House Card: What Went Wrong?
- Javier Albite
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
by Javier Albite
UFC Freedom 250 is an upcoming historic MMA event scheduled to take place on June 14 on the South Lawn of the White House. It will be the first sporting event held on the White House grounds.
The event was first announced by President Donald Trump on July 3, 2025, during a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Since then, UFC President Dana White has promoted it as the biggest event the company has ever put on.
The original plan was to host six or seven championship fights, according to both Trump and White, but that idea later changed to a six-fight card featuring one title bout and one interim title bout.
Fight Card
Announced March 7 during the UFC 326 broadcast, the card is expected to include:
Ilia Topuria (c) vs. Justin Gaethje (ic) (UFC lightweight championship)
Topuria is set to defend his UFC lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje.
Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane (UFC interim heavyweight championship)
Former UFC middleweight and two-time light heavyweight champion Pereira will face former heavyweight title contender Gane for the interim belt. The interim champion is expected to fight current UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall when he returns from injury.
Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi (bantamweight bout)
Former UFC bantamweight champion O’Malley will face Zahabi, who is ranked No. 5 in the bantamweight division.
Maurício Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler (lightweight bout)
Ruffy, ranked No. 9 in the lightweight division, will face former title contender Chandler.
Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus (middleweight bout)
Former NCAA Division I wrestler Nickal will face Daukaus, who is unranked.
Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia (featherweight bout)
Former featherweight title contender Lopes will face Garcia, who is ranked No. 9 in the division.
Who Pulled Out?
The card changed significantly in the week leading up to its announcement, with multiple reports of behind-the-scenes issues leading to fighters withdrawing or being removed. Based on reports, this is what the card was expected to look like:
Alex Pereira vs. Jon Jones (UFC interim heavyweight championship)
Former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Jones withdrew after the UFC declined to match a reported $30 million offer from his previous fight.
Islam Makhachev (c) vs. Ilia Topuria (c) (UFC welterweight championship)
Former lightweight champion and current welterweight champion Makhachev withdrew the night before due to a reported hand injury.
Kayla Harrison (c) vs. Amanda Nunes (UFC women’s bantamweight championship)
This fight has not been fully confirmed, but reports indicate it was rescheduled from UFC 324 and delayed again.
Sean O’Malley vs. Cory Sandhagen (UFC bantamweight title eliminator)
Former title contender Sandhagen was reportedly removed after O’Malley declined the fight at the last minute.
Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler (welterweight bout)
After multiple delays since UFC 303 in June 2024, the fight was expected to take place, but negotiations fell through with former featherweight and lightweight champion McGregor.
Bo Nickal vs. Colby Covington (middleweight bout)
Former interim welterweight champion Covington left the card after failing to reach an agreement with the UFC.
Reactions
Many fans expressed disappointment with the card, which had been promoted for months as one of the biggest events in UFC history. The final lineup drew mixed reactions, including criticism from fighters.
Will you be watching UFC at the White House?
👍 yeah
👎 nah that card sucks