President Donald Trump donned a white “USA” hat cageside for UFC Freedom 250, the first mixed martial arts event ever held on the White House South Lawn. The spectacle featured fighter walkouts, flyovers, and a sprawling fireworks display set to John Philip Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever.
Justin Gaethje pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, winning the undisputed lightweight championship by TKO after Ilia Topuria’s corner stopped the fight at the end of the fourth round. Gaethje, a massive underdog, survived multiple scares including a crushing body shot from Topuria. “That guy had me in trouble. He had me rocked. He smoked my liver,” Gaethje said.
In the co-main event, Ciryl Gane captured the interim heavyweight title with a devastating second-round stoppage of Alex Pereira. Gane overwhelmed the former two-division champion, countering with crisp combinations before finishing at 1:27 of the second round.
Earlier, Josh Hokit remained unbeaten with a dominant second-round stoppage of Derrick Lewis. After the fight, Hokit climbed from the cage and presented Trump with a necklace. In his post-fight interview, Hokit repeated a false conspiracy claim about Michelle Obama, drawing roars from the crowd.
Sean O’Malley stopped Canada’s Aiemann Zahabi by TKO at 4:02 of the second round, giving the pro-American crowd the victory they wanted. Trump applauded the finish and shook O’Malley’s hand.
The event faced weather challenges, with thunderstorms delaying the start by about an hour. Organizers monitored lightning closely, with a single strike within eight miles triggering an automatic 30-minute suspension.
Bo Nickal needed less than five minutes to stop Kyle Daukaus by first-round TKO, then immediately exited the octagon to shake hands with Trump. “It takes a special person to have the balls to do something like this,” Nickal said.
Diego Lopes delivered the first finish of the night with a dramatic second-round knockout of Steve Garcia after appearing to be on the wrong side of much of the fight.
The event also featured an appearance by Tyson Fury, who emerged from the White House to tease a potential fight with Anthony Joshua but offered few details. “I think I’m going to let Dana do the talking,” Fury said.
Protesters from Third Act Virginia erected a makeshift cage filled with puppets of Trump and his cabinet members outside the Ellipse. “We made the cage to show them behind bars where they belong – not in the UFC cage, but in a jail cage,” said Marco Smith.
The business ties surrounding the card continued to grow, with the promotion announcing that some fighters would receive performance bonuses in a cryptocurrency issued by World Liberty Financial, the Trump family-backed company that became an official sponsor.
