UFC Freedom 250 was monumental for the sport — even aside from its incredibly unique location
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7 min read
While holding UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House was controversial, there’s no denying the event delivered tremendous drama and unmatched action in the most unique atmosphere in which mixed martial arts have been contested. The action met the moment, too.
UFC at the White House featured fewer fights than typical events; however, no other UFC card has ended with every fight going to a knockout finish. Beyond that, the incredible action-packed main event between lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, both figuratively and literally, resulted in fireworks. Gaethje showed everything that makes him a special fighter in surviving an unrelenting onslaught from Topuria to score a win after four rounds of back-and-forth action.
UFC Freedom 250 was a uniquely memorable event in an unbelievable location. With that in mind, let’s dive into the top takeaways from the event.
Justin Gaethje left his mark on combat sports history
Gaethje was a late exclusion from my list of the top 25 American fighters in UFC history, but after another trademark Gaethje-style win over Topuria to claim the lightweight championship, he would certainly jump onto the list. Everything that makes Gaethje special as a fighter was on display on Sunday night. He showed the heart, the grit, the power and the willingness to go to depths few others would ever dare to claim his first undisputed UFC championship. Gaethje did not hold back in admitting that Topuria badly hurt him both to the head and the liver in their fight, but he also didn’t hold back from continuing to fire hellacious shots at Topuria, turning the champion’s face to pulp and forcing the fight to be stopped in the corner after four rounds.
Gaethje represents the ideal mixed martial artist for most fans. He’s someone who will go through absolute hell to land a shot he believes will change the course of the fight. There may be no other man on Earth who would have been able to survive Topuria’s onslaught and go on to pick up the win, but that’s Gaethje, a special fighter who will live on in the hearts and minds of MMA fans for decades to come. What a fight, what a fighter, and now, what a champion.
Ciryl Gane made a massive statement
Until someone takes the belt from him, Tom Aspinall is the king of the heavyweight division. Still, Ciryl Gane slammed the gauntlet down on Sunday, making a statement loud enough to cast doubt on whether Aspinall truly is the best heavyweight in the UFC. When Gane and Aspinall met at UFC 321, Gane was getting the better of the fight before he dug two fingers deep into Aspinall’s eye sockets. Aspinall has been sidelined while he deals with those eye injuries and related surgeries since that fight in October 2025.
Gane missed his chance that night, which can only be blamed on his own actions in the Octagon. But against a legend on the South Lawn of the White House, he looked better than ever. Alex Pereira, a former middleweight and two-time light heavyweight champion, is a dangerous striker at any weight, but Gane had his number from the jump before scoring the second-round stoppage. In addition to the eye injuries, Aspinall and the UFC are not on solid terms at the moment, which positions Gane as the champion should Aspinall follow in the footsteps of previous heavyweight champions Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones by walking away from the belt, and could even make him a favorite if a rematch comes to fruition.
Sean O’Malley will likely have to wait
After Peter Yan took the bantamweight title from Merab Dvalishvili in their rematch at UFC 323, it opened the door for Sean O’Malley to get another crack at bantamweight gold. O’Malley lost the title to Dvalishvili and dropped the rematch with Dvalishvili leaving little to the imagination on who was the better man both nights. After O’Malley scored a badly needed TKO of Aiemann Zahabi on Sunday to win his second fight since the Dvalishvili fights, he called for a bout with Yan
It would seem the plan is for a trilogy bout between Yan and Dvalishvili, and how that fight goes, so do O’Malley’s chances at a title shot. There’s no valid reason for O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili III, so if Dvalishvili regains the belt, O’Malley may be left out in the cold. O’Malley does have a 2022 split decision win over Yan, though, which means a Yan win over Dvalishvili could make for an easy O’Malley title shot. If UFC books the rematch between Yan and Dvalishvili, there will be no more interested observer than O’Malley.
Before a title shot, Josh Hokit must take another step
After putting a beating on a seemingly disinterested and exhausted Derrick Lewis for another big victory in his young UFC career, Josh Hokit should be eying another top-level challenger well before vying for a championship. This fight didn’t require the same level of skill or heart as Hokit’s win over Curtis Blaydes, but it was another big win for the controversial and “cringe” Hokit. While Hokit called out Pereira, who was yet to fight Gane for the interim heavyweight title in the co-main event, it feels as though there is another heavyweight hurdle Hokit should have to clear before seeking gold: Alexander Volkov.
Volkov is frequently overlooked in heavyweight discussions, but he is on a 6-1 run, with the lone loss a universally accepted judges’ robbery in Volkov’s fight with Gane. Had the judges gotten it right that night, it would have been Volkov facing Aspinall, not Gane, who then eye-poked the heavyweight champion onto the sidelines for months. If Hokit can clear the Volkov hurdle, there would be no denying a future title shot. But a win over this version of Lewis is not something that should put Hokit in the title discussion.
Mauricio Ruffy might be the champion’s boogeyman
Mauricio Ruffy showed the kind of wide-open striking that makes him so fun to watch in scoring a first-round knockout of Michael Chandler. That kind of striking style can be risky, as missing spinning strikes can leave a fighter wide open to takedowns. But heading into the night, it was clear the lightweight champion would be a strikes-first fighter. With long limbs and a willingness to utilize them at proper range and from odd angles with serious power, Ruffy presents an intriguing puzzle for Gaethje to solve should the two meet in the near future. Ruffy is not a perfect fighter, as shown when Benoit Saint Denis put on a grappling clinic against him three fights ago, but any fighter who wants to strike with Ruffy is taking a dangerous risk. Gaethje has more than proven he can take unbelievable punishment while continuing to march forward. Still, nobody is safe from a striker as dynamic and powerful as Ruffy, and if Gaethje isn’t careful, Ruffy could prove to be his kryptonite.
Bo Nickal continues to evolve as a complete fighter
Always holding a wrestling advantage over his opponents, there are few fighters who can thrive as one-dimensional as Bo Nickal in the modern era. To that end, Nickal’s striking continues to get better, as he showed with his first-round knockout of Kyle Daukaus on Sunday. After wearing on Daukaus with his wrestling and top game, Nickal could have been frustrated by a questionable referee stand-up. Instead, he responded to Daukaus trying to flip the script with his rangy striking by landing a knockdown blow and pounding away for the first-round finish.
Diego Lopes isn’t going anywhere as a contender
While Diego Lopes may have lost two featherweight title fights to Alexander Volkanovski, he’s not going to fade away as a contender at 145 pounds. It’s unlikely Lopes is going to get another crack at the belt as long as Volkanovski holds it, but he did stake his claim to a top spot in the division with a knockout of Steve Garcia at UFC Freedom 250. Lopes’ defensive liabilities were on display early, with Garcia landing some good shots that seemed to have Lopes hesitant to engage for most of the first round, but so was his iron chin. Lopes absorbed some heavy blows from Garcia before clearly making the decision that it was time to bite down on his mouthpiece and come forward in the second round. Once Lopes was on the attack, he had Garcia rocked and then unconscious in a big statement victory.
Bring back live bands and choruses
The live military band and chorus provided a completely unique and special atmosphere for Sunday’s proceedings. The live covers of the fighters’ various walk-out songs were arguably the highlight of an event that saw seven knockouts in seven fights, which is saying something impressive about such a unique and historic event. If the UFC takes anything away from Freedom 250, let it be how amazing a small change like live music can be to make an event feel special.
