Well, that sure wasn’t something, wasn’t it folks?
UFC Freedom 250 was hotly anticipated, or much maligned, depending on which side of the political spectrum you fell on ahead of Sunday’s historic fight card on the south lawn of the White House. For years, UFC CEO and President Dana White had opted to stay out of politics, but once Donald Trump, an early supporter of the UFC no matter how tenuously, entered the political fray, that began to change.
Suddenly, White was there, introducing Trump at the Republican National Convention. The relationship between the two seemed to grow, or at least become more public. During both his terms as President, Trump made very public appearances at UFC events. Pundits railed against this mix of political showmanship and sports, but Trump’s ties to the increasingly mainstream mixed martial arts promotion no doubt helped his image, which especially in recent times has taken something of a drubbing.
Then came word that the UFC was set to host the first-ever professional sporting event at the White House. Critics called it sportswashing, and they are most certainly correct. The entire affair, ostensibly to celebrate 250 candles on the great American birthday cake, reeked of political opportunism. Never more so than when the date of the event moved to Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. You might as well have dressed Dana White in a little white number and had him sing “Happy birthday, Mr. President” to start the show.
All that aside, however, the UFC Freedom 250 card was a brilliant production and an incredible night of fights. Had it been held anywhere but the White House, or even held there on anything but Trump’s own birthday, it would have had the feel of one of the old Fight for the Troops events (which the UFC, coincidentally, is in talks to resurrect). Only with a massive budget, against an incredible backdrop, and with bigger star power.
There are plenty of takeaways in the aftermath of UFC Freedom 250, from the uneven mainstream coverage of the card to Justin Gaethje’s movie-like ascension to the top of the lightweight mountain. Lots of ground to cover, only so many words to do it in, so let’s not waste any more with this ramble of an introduction.
Sorry Arman, Only One Move Makes Sense for Gaethje
It’s hard to feel too sorry for Arman Tsarukyan, always the bridesmaid, never the bride when it comes to UFC title fights. Since pulling out of a bout against then-lightweight champ Islam Makhachev in January 2025, Tsarukyan hasn’t been able to sniff a title shot. He was supposed to serve as the back-up fighter for the UFC Freedom 250 main event, but even that fell through; instead, Diego Lopes somehow weighed in twice in one day, in two entirely different weight classes, first for his featherweight fight with Steve Garcia, then for the main event, just in case.
No one, it seems, other than Tsarukyan himself and maybe his family, cares to see him in a title fight. There was mild interest in the Makhachev fight, mainly because they had met before, less for a match-up with Topuria, and Justin Gaethje? Unless you’re a purist and beholden to the rankings (which is justified in most cases), or a Topuria superfan, well, poor Tsarukyan may have to wait.
Then again, he brings it on himself, getting kicked off planes, sparking brawls, and removed from rival MMA events. That’s when he’s not busy headbutting opponents at weigh-ins.
Arman will have to wait. Because after beating Ilia Topuria into oblivion and dispatching him to hospital in the UFC Freedom 250 main event, Justin Gaethje brought up retirement talk. Specifically, he revealed that he would not make a decision about his fighting future on the night of the event, having made a promise to his mother not to do so.
When fighters start talking about retirement unprompted, you know the end is neigh. The question is whether or not Justin Gaethje returns for another fight or two. For years, Gaethje has counted his time left in the sport not by fights, but wars. He’s said he only had a few wars left, and his fight with Topuria very much was one. “The Highlight” came out without the extreme sort of damage Topuria was sporting, but he ate some hellacious body shots, and not a few blows landed upstairs. Lack of gore aside, Justin Gaethje is one step closer to MMA’s retirement home, and for good reason.
So, sorry Arman Tsarukyan, but if Gaethje does fight on, it will likely be for the last time, and that’s not the fight to make. Not even close.
There is, of course, the potential of a rematch with Topuria, and who wouldn’t want to see that? Yet despite the Spanish-Georgian fighter being undefeated prior to Sunday’s loss, despite him being a two-division champ, he was one-and-done at lightweight. No title defenses, and no real need for an immediate rematch. Ilia Topuria will fight for another title in the UFC, but it needn’t be right away.
There’s one fight, however, that makes all the sense in the world for Justin Gaethje, the most violent man in mixed martial arts. Gaethje is your favorite fighter’s favorite fighter, and he deserves one massive fight to go out on. And there’s a fight coming up that, whether it comes against either party, fits the bill: Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway.
McGregor is the biggest name in MMA history. Holloway is the man who beat Gaethje in the dying seconds of their UFC 300 classic, a fight that may one day land itself in the UFC Hall of Fame, alongside both fighters and McGregor himself. No matter who wins at UFC 329 next month, Gaethje versus the victor is one of the biggest fights of 2026. Yet, Max and Conor are fighting at 170lbs. Max is expected to come back to lightweight. With McGregor, who knows, but it doesn’t matter. Gaethje doesn’t need to defend the belt at this point. He’s won interim gold twice, held the “BMF” title, and fought a who’s who of the lightweight roster. Lightweight, catchweight, 170, whatever.
It’s time for the UFC to get back to booking big fights. They struggled to get the right names on UFC Freedom 250, struggled with the Jon Jones situation. Gaethje saved their bacon by overcoming the odds when it mattered most and giving the UFC a crowning moment for an American in front of the White House. Now, give him the most massive farewell party possible.
Sean Strickland Didn’t Steal the Show, But Made His Presence Felt
According to UFC middleweight champ Sean Strickland, he was banned from UFC Freedom 250. To hear UFC CEO and President Dana White tell it, there was simply no room at the inn. Strickland may be right on a technicality, as his presence may not have passed muster with the White House itself, especially since he’s taken to calling Donald Trump a pedophile and criticizing his association with Israel and invasion of Iran.
Either way, Strickland was not supposed to be part of the White House card festivities this week, so of course he showed up. First, he crashed the ceremonial weigh-ins, hiding out in the crowd until his presence was revealed (literally unmasked) by a cop overly hung up on sticking to the book. No face coverings allowed, so let’s risk a near riot by having fans mob a reigning UFC champ.
Strickland had his fun, criticizing Trump publicly, landing a leg kick on a willing fan who likely had second thoughts after the fact, then fleeing the scene as fans chased him. Had he stopped there, it might all might have been forgotten, but Strickland is, well, Strickland, and likes to do Sean Strickland things. So, unable to secure a ticket for UFC Freedom 250’s fan fest and viewing at the Ellipse across from the White House, he crashed the party anyway.
This time, Strickland was escorted out by a small army of police officers and security team members. Though he initially claimed to be facing a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct, it seems that won’t be the case. Still, Sean Strickland stole headlines all week. Were it not for the performances of Justin Gaethje and Ciryl Gane, he might have stolen the show outright. Either way, as unlikely as it seems, Strickland is a bigger star than ever in 2026.
