UFC Freedom 250: Follow all the action from extraordinary event on White House lawn in front of Donald Trump and star-studded crowd

Updated: 20:55 EDT, 14 June 2026

Follow all the action from Daily Mail Sport’s live coverage of UFC Freedom 250 – an extraordinary event headlined by Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje on the White House lawn in front of Donald Trump and a star-studded crowd.

Key Updates

JAMES COHEN AT THE WHITE HOUSE:

This is quite the spectacle. We may have been building up to this all week but it still feels surreal that we have a UFC card at the White House. On Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, no less.

The weather has tried its best to put a stop to proceedings but, as it stands, we are about to get underway with the first fight of the evening.

I should mention, however, that despite the fact there is no rain (yet), it’s notably hot and humid here tonight. Interested to see how the fighters deal with that…

Melania Trump finds her seat

The First Lady is of course in attendance tonight and is flanked by an impeccably turned out military man as she makes her short trip from the White House to her seat, not bad having all this in your back garden is it?

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: U.S. First Lady Melania Trump walks out of the White House onto the South Lawn for the UFC Freedom 250 fight on June 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump is hosting a series of Ultimate Fighting Championship matches on his 80th birthday, which the White House is calling "a once-in-a-generation celebration of the American fighting spirit." (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Time for the first fight!

A live band plays the walk-on music and Steve Garcia is the first fighter of the night to strut out of the White House doors, down the steps and into the octagon, you have to give it to them, these are the kind of visuals you’d get in some unlockable bonus in a game.

Garcia vs Diego Lopes has been chosen very deliberately as the curtain-raiser here. This one should absolutely catch fire with both of the most entertaining scrappers in the UFC going toe-to-toe.

People arrive for UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

Pure American showmanship

Strickland booted out

He’s never far from controversy is he? Sean Strickland has been turfed out by the Secret Service already – not exactly a hard man to find…

More on that from our man on the ground, James Cohen, here.

Incredible fly-over

Wow. Now proceedings have really kicked off in style.

The national anthem is belted out in the centre of the octagon. Donald Trump salutes the jets flying over the arena and is stood next to a beaming Dana White on the balcony.

It still feels utterly surreal that this is all taking place at the White House. We’re off to a flyer (sorry).

Fear of lightning and high winds

A reporter on the UFC’s telecast has just given this latest update:

I was just down at the command center and was able to speak with Kevin Mahoney from DTN Weather Services, a private weather company commissioned by the UFC. They’re working closely with the Presidential Weather Office and the National Weather Service tracking a cell of thunderstorms over West Virginia that is set to move into the Metro DC.

It is not rain that they are concerned with. It is high winds and lightning. I am told that if that happens, a shelter in place will be initiated.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: The UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest on The Ellipse and the UFC Freedom 250 fight on the South Lawn of the White House are seen from the top of the Washington Monument on June 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump is hosting a series of Ultimate Fighting Championship matches on his 80th birthday, which the White House is calling "a once-in-a-generation celebration of the American fighting spirit." (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Who are the 14 fighters in action tonight?

The UFC have done away with pre-lims tonight and simply stacked a seven-fight card with some brilliant match-ups, here they are in reverse order with the main event first:

Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje

Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane

Sean O’Malley vs Aiemann Zahabi

Josh Hokit vs Derrick Lewis

Mauricio Ruffy vs Michael Chandler

Bo Nickal vs Kyle Daukaus

Diego Lopes vs Steve Garcia

More on those pesky storms here:

Start is DELAYED by storm warnings

The first round of the night has been won by… the weather.

Dana White often goes on about the reason he hates the idea of stadium fights is the unpredictability of the elements that can cause havoc with logistics.

Storm warnings have set the start time back by about an hour but of course that could still be pushed further or affect the situation deeper into the card with more adverse conditions expected later.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: A general view of the Octagon during the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn at the White House on June 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Fight fans, politicians, startled onlookers – welcome one and all!

Well this is all a bit mad isn’t it?

I’ve done a few of these in my time but never did I imagine the UFC would be hosting one of their gladiatorial mega events from the White House itself. Plonk an octagon on the lawn and celebrate the aptly named UFC Freedom 250 – that fantasy plan of Dana White and Donald Trump becomes a reality tonight and we’re on hand to detail every star-spangled bit of it.

White HouseJustin Gaethje