The UFC released the long-awaited fight card for the upcoming event at the White House on Saturday, March 8.
The card features six fights, including two title bouts. The event — dubbed “UFC Freedom Fights 250” — is part of the 250th anniversary celebrations for the United States.
Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje will compete for the UFC lightweight title, Alex Pereira will meet Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title, and Bo Nickal will fight Kyle Daukaus.
Nickal is a former NCAA wrestling champion who has a strong relationship with President Donald Trump.
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Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi, Michael Chandler vs. Mauricio Ruffy and Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia rounds out the card.
The event will take place on June 14, 2026 and has been in the works for more than six months. UFC CEO Dana White, whose connections with Trump helped set up this event, admitted that booking fighters was a challenge.
“This card was a lot more difficult to put together than we had anticipated, but we got it done,” White said to Joe Rogan on Saturday. “A fight fell out last night. The matchmaking team was literally in the office all night last night working on this thing.”
Dana White. Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Two notable fighters missing from the card are Jon Jones and Conor McGregor, who both previously showed interest in participating in the event.
White said Jones was never in contention to be included in the card, despite the fighter just last week suggesting that he was in negotiations to fight.
“The Jon Jones thing is bulls—,” White said. “I’m not saying they weren’t talking to Jon Jones and that Jon Jones wasn’t interested in the fight. What was even crazier was Jon Jones came out and was like, ‘I’m in negotiations right now for the White House card,’ after I had already sent a text to his lawyer saying, ‘Never going to happen ever.’”
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He continued, “Never, ever, ever — which I told you guys 100,000 times — was Jon Jones ever even remotely in my mind to fight at the White House. He’s got arthritis in his hips. Apparently, he’s had doctors say that he needs a hip replacement.”
McGregor, on the other hand, seems to be more likely to return to the ring soon, even if it’s not for the June event at the White House.
“We are definitely talking to Conor,” White said.
McGregor hasn’t fought in UFC since he broke his leg during a 2021 match against Dustin Poirier.
