The much anticipated, once-in-a-lifetime UFC Freedom 250 at the White House in Washington, D.C. arrived on Sunday, a card that once would have been unthinkable to even the most die-hard of UFC fans.
Back when Sen. John McCain was calling MMA and the UFC “human cockfighting,” mixed martial arts struggled to find respect, and the UFC found difficulty securing venues. Donald Trump, with his Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, for one, was one of the safe havens for the promotion, at least for a brief period.
That sparked a relationship between UFC President (and now CEO) Dana White and future U.S. President Trump. And with Trump now serving out a second term in office, and the UFC a multi-billion dollar sports property, the tide has certainly turned.
What was once unthinkable is now very much reality, with the UFC having to honor of being the first-ever professional sporting event at the White House. Set for the White House lawn on Sunday, the likes of Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje, Alex Pereira, Sean O’Malley and Michael Chandler were all on hand. Just 14 fighters, seven fights in total, a rare opportunity for all involved to appear on what was expected to be one of the biggest cards in UFC history.
With the full card airing on Paramount+ in the U.S., there was no premium price tag, at least for U.S. fans. All the more reason to tune in.
The wait is over, and UFC Freedom 250, a.k.a. UFC White House, is finally here. Check below throughout the night for results from the event, and links to each fight’s individual recap. It all kicks off at 8PM ET, 5PM PT.
Update, 6:15 PM ET: Earlier this afternoon the UFC announced a change to the UFC Freedom 250 broadcast schedule. The broadcast now starts at 8PM, which was originally the go-time for the first fight. It’s unclear if the originally planned one-hour pre-show will still be held in its entirety.
UFC Freedom 250 Results
Ilia Topuria (c) vs. Justin Gaethje (ic) – for the UFC lightweight championship / title unification bout
Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane – for the vacant UFC interim heavyweight championship
Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi
Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis
Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler
Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus
Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia
