History was made on the South Lawn. The UFC’s first ever White House card, UFC Freedom 250, delivered exactly what Dana White promised. Two title fights, every bout ending inside the distance, and one of the biggest upsets in modern UFC history at the top of the card. Justin Gaethje finally became undisputed UFC lightweight champion, dethroning the previously untouchable Ilia Topuria. And Ciryl Gane spoiled Alex Pereira’s three-weight bid in even more dramatic fashion.
Here is the full UFC White House results breakdown, fight by fight, plus what comes next for the winners and losers from a card that genuinely lived up to the hype.
UFC White House Main Event Result: Justin Gaethje TKO4 Ilia Topuria
Justin Gaethje is the undisputed UFC lightweight champion of the world. On the third time of asking, after twice falling short for the belt, the 37-year-old finally got it done in front of President Trump and a White House crowd, stopping the previously unbeaten Ilia Topuria via corner stoppage at the end of round four.
The fight was the war everyone expected, and then some. Topuria came out swinging, landing the first big shot of the fight with a thudding right hand. Gaethje weathered the early storm and went back to work behind a stiff jab, picking his moments and refusing to be drawn into the brawl Topuria wanted. By the third round, the tide had turned. Gaethje was landing the cleaner shots, Topuria’s face was already bloodied and badly swollen, and the Georgian-Spaniard was visibly slowing.
Topuria showed everything that made him champion in the fourth, rallying when he had no right to and arguably winning the round. But the damage was already too severe. Both eyes were closing, a bone in his face was visibly out of place, and as the bell rang to end round four his corner made the call. The towel came in. Justin Gaethje, on his third attempt, was champion.
“My durability, tenacity, and heart will carry me through adversity,” Gaethje said in his post-fight interview. Joe Rogan called it “one of the great upsets in the history of the sport” on commentary. He was not wrong.
For Topuria, it was the first defeat of his professional career, ending a 17-0 run that had made him one of the most-feared fighters on the roster. Defeat in such brutal fashion in his first lightweight title defence rewrites a lot of the narratives that surrounded him, but at 29 he has plenty of road ahead. Whether that is at lightweight, a move up to welterweight he had been considering, or a rematch with Gaethje down the line, will be one of the biggest stories of the next year.
UFC White House Co-Main Event Result: Ciryl Gane TKO2 Alex Pereira
If the main event was a stunning upset, the co-main was almost as shocking. Ciryl Gane stopped Alex Pereira inside two rounds to win the interim UFC heavyweight title, ending Pereira’s bid to become the UFC’s first three-weight world champion.
Pereira, the reigning light heavyweight king moving up in weight for the historic shot, never settled. Gane used his trademark movement and timing to circle out of Pereira’s range early, and when Pereira pressed forward in the second, the Frenchman caught him cleanly. A combination put Pereira down, follow-up strikes ended the fight at 1:27 of round two.
Gane now holds the interim heavyweight title and sits in line for a shot at undisputed champion Tom Aspinall, the British heavyweight who has been waiting on the unification fight for over a year. That bout, when it lands, becomes one of the biggest fights on the UFC’s calendar.
UFC Freedom 250 Full Card Results
Every single fight on the White House card ended inside the distance, an extraordinary statistic for a UFC main card. Here is the full UFC Freedom 250 results card:
- Main Event: Justin Gaethje def. Ilia Topuria via TKO (corner stoppage) – R4, 5:00 (wins undisputed UFC lightweight title)
- Co-Main: Ciryl Gane def. Alex Pereira via TKO (punches) – R2, 1:27 (wins interim UFC heavyweight title)
- Sean O’Malley def. Aiemann Zahabi via TKO (punches) – R2, 4:02
- Josh Hokit def. Derrick Lewis via TKO (punches) – R2, 4:09
- Mauricio Ruffy def. Michael Chandler via TKO (punches) – R1, 4:29
- Bo Nickal def. Kyle Daukaus via TKO (punches) – R1, 4:34
- Diego Lopes def. Steve Garcia via KO (punches) – R2, 2:42
Seven fights. Zero went to the judges. A truly remarkable night of finishes.
UFC White House Undercard Highlights
Sean O’Malley def. Aiemann Zahabi (TKO, R2)
“Sugar” Sean O’Malley got himself back in the win column with a second-round stoppage of Aiemann Zahabi, the former bantamweight champion reminding everyone why he sat at the top of the division for so long. O’Malley now firmly in the conversation for a shot at the bantamweight belt.
Josh Hokit def. Derrick Lewis (TKO, R2)
Big upset in the heavyweight division. Newcomer Josh Hokit stopped fan favourite Derrick Lewis inside two rounds, with the former NFL prospect announcing his arrival on a massive stage. Lewis, 41, may now be facing serious questions about his future in the division.
Mauricio Ruffy def. Michael Chandler (TKO, R1)
Another shocker. Mauricio Ruffy stopped former Bellator champion and UFC veteran Michael Chandler inside a single round, a result few saw coming. Chandler’s recent run continues to slide, while Ruffy has just put the lightweight division on serious notice.
Bo Nickal def. Kyle Daukaus (TKO, R1)
Wrestling phenom Bo Nickal made short work of Kyle Daukaus, stopping the durable middleweight inside the first round. Nickal’s stock continues to climb and a top-15 middleweight is surely next.
Diego Lopes def. Steve Garcia (KO, R2)
The opener and arguably the most violent finish of the night. Diego Lopes was rocked in the first round by a clean left hand from Steve Garcia, but rallied to land his own left hook in round two that sent Garcia crashing to the canvas. A follow-up flurry sealed a brutal KO and the perfect start to the evening.
What is Next for Topuria and Gaethje?
Gaethje finally has the undisputed belt he has chased for the best part of six years. The 37-year-old joins a short list of fighters to win the title on the third attempt, after Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira knocked him back. His next move depends partly on Topuria. An immediate rematch makes sense given the closeness of the fight before the corner stoppage, and given how much money it would generate.
Topuria, meanwhile, faces the first proper setback of his career. At 17-1 he is still a young, elite fighter, and there will be no shortage of options. The Gaethje rematch is the obvious one. A move up to welterweight, something he had been openly considering before the fight, also remains in play. Either way, the era of Topuria as the untouchable face of the lightweight division has been paused at the very least. How he responds will define the next chapter of his career.
UFC Calendar: What is Next?
Next up for combat sports fans, attention now turns to UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 on 11 July, where Conor McGregor’s long-awaited return headlines another huge card from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
On the boxing side, Anthony Joshua returns on 25 July against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, with the signed Tyson Fury showdown waiting in the wings for Q4 2026.
For the latest UFC betting markets, head to BetVictor’s UFC odds and markets.
Justin Gaethje won the UFC White House main event, defeating Ilia Topuria via TKO (corner stoppage) at the end of round four to claim the undisputed UFC lightweight title. It was Gaethje’s third attempt at the undisputed belt.
Topuria’s corner threw in the towel between rounds four and five. He had suffered severe damage to his face including both eyes closing and a visible bone displacement, and his team made the call to protect him despite Topuria’s fourth-round rally.
No. Alex Pereira lost his interim UFC heavyweight title bid against Ciryl Gane via TKO in round two. The defeat ends Pereira’s hopes of becoming the UFC’s first three-weight world champion, at least for now.
All seven fights on the UFC White House card ended by KO or TKO, an extraordinary feat for a single UFC event. No fight went to the judges’ scorecards, with finishes ranging from a 1:27 second-round TKO (Gane vs Pereira) to the brutal corner stoppage in the Topuria-Gaethje main event.
No rematch has been announced as of yet, but the closeness and brutality of the fight makes an immediate Topuria vs Gaethje rematch one of the most likely fights to be made in the coming months. Topuria has also previously talked about a move up to welterweight, so all options remain open.
