UFC White House fight card revealed - is it anti-climactic?

• The White House UFC fight has finally been locked in, with all fighters confirmed, but the actual number of bouts is much smaller than anticipated
• While the lineup isn’t too bad by and far, there were some missed opportunities to stage exciting fights pitting old rivals versus one another
• Some of the most prominent names rumored to be coming back - McGregor and Jones - were left out completely

The UFC Freedom 250 event's full fight card has been revealed, and despite Dana White’s pep talk and hype-building that went on for months, some observers could not help but wonder if that is indeed going to be the showdown they were promised.

UFC confirms full fight card for Freedom 250

The event, due to take place on America’s 250th birthday - June 14, 2026 - at the White House’s South Lawn, is also meant as an indirect celebration of President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, and will feature numerous prominent fighters, but perhaps not the ones some fans were hoping for.

The Main Event will take place between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, with the undercard set between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane. Conor McGregor, who has been overly chummy with President Trump over social media, has not made the cut.

Other fighters on the card include Sean O’Malley, who will take on Aiemann Zahabi, with Michael Chandler due to square up against Mauricio Ruffy. Details about broadcasting rights are still being figured out, but CBS is supposed to be there, the media acknowledged.

Fans are somewhat disappointed at missed opportunities to set up rivalries

For starters, the promised seven-eight fights are not going to take place - it is half that with four fights locked in, which is how it goes.

The people drafted for the fight aren’t themselves too bad - Pereira is definitely someone people were hoping to see, but putting him up against Gane is not what fans were hoping for, with many asking why Jon Jones wasn’t drafted instead.

White has argued that Jones was never meant to return in a fight against Pereira as part of UFC Freedom 250, and why this was never explained.

Another possible "let down" is the missed opportunity to pit Topuria versus Islam Makhachev. Fans fear that Topuira may have too easy a time against Gaethje for the upcoming bout, bringing a quick end.

Overall, this is one of the strangest UFC events, and while the actual organization has not so far lived up to the hype, fans will be tuning in to watch what is a fascinating MMA event all the same.