Ilia Topuria is making his return in the main event of the historic UFC White House card when he faces Justin Gaethje in a lightweight title unification bout.
UFC CEO Dana White announced Topuria vs. Gaethje as the headliner along with the rest of the card on Saturday during the UFC 326 broadcast. The event officially titled Freedom 250 takes place on Sunday, June 14 as part of President Donald Trump’s America 250 celebration.
Recognized as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, Topuria
is finally getting back in the octagon after he demolished Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant lightweight title after Islam Makhachev left the division. Topuria ended up taking an extended break while he went through a contentious divorce with his now ex-wife, which put him on the sideline for the first part of 2026.
As a result, the UFC opted to make an interim lightweight title fight with Gaethje facing Paddy Pimblett in the UFC 324 main event — the first card to air on Paramount+ under the UFC’s new broadcast deal. Gaethje put on a stunning performance, battering Pimblett across five rounds to ultimately win a unanimous decision to claim the interim title.
Now Gaethje attempts to pull off another upset when he faces Topuria in the main event headed to the south lawn of the White House.
Here’s the full card for the UFC White House:
MAIN EVENT: Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje
