The UFC has officially announced the headline fight for its upcoming event at the White House, with lightweight champion Ilia Topuria set to face interim titleholder Justin Gaethje in a title unification bout.
UFC CEO Dana White revealed the matchup during the broadcast of UFC 326, confirming that the fight will serve as the main event of the historic card scheduled for June 14.
The event, titled Freedom 250, is part of President Donald Trump’s America 250 celebration.
Topuria returns to competition as one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighters.
His last appearance saw him capture the vacant UFC lightweight title after defeating Charles Oliveira.
That championship opportunity came after former champion Islam Makhachev moved out of the division.
Following his title win, Topuria took time away from competition due to personal circumstances, including a highly publicized divorce that kept him sidelined during the early months of 2026.
During his absence, the UFC created an interim lightweight title bout to keep the division moving.
Justin Gaethje faced Paddy Pimblett in the main event of UFC 324, the first event broadcast on Paramount+ under the promotion’s new media deal.
Gaethje delivered a dominant performance, controlling the fight across five rounds and earning a unanimous decision victory to secure the interim belt.
Now the two champions will collide to determine the undisputed lightweight king.
The bout will take place on the south lawn of the White House, making it one of the most unusual and historic venues in UFC history.
The co-main event will feature another major title clash.
Former middleweight and light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is moving up to heavyweight to face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title.
The belt is being contested while reigning champion Tom Aspinall recovers from double eye surgery.
The currently announced lineup for the UFC White House card includes:
- Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje – Lightweight title unification (main event)
- Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane – (interim heavyweight title)
- Sean O’Malley vs. Aimann Zahabi
- Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler
- Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus
- Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia
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