UFC Freedom 250 is finally upon us.
The world's biggest MMA promotion is set to host a blockbuster event at the White House on Sunday, with two title fights headlining the seven-bout card in Washington. In the main event, Ilia Topuria will defend the lightweight championship for the first time against interim champ Justin Gaethje. And in the co-main event, Alex Pereira will square off with Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight belt.
Here are the five biggest storylines ahead of this weekend's one-of-a-kind event.
Will Topuria move to welterweight after Gaethje fight?
If history repeats itself, this could be Topuria's final fight in the lightweight division.
When Topuria won the featherweight title in 2024, he didn't stick around for long. He defended the belt once - against Max Holloway, eight months after knocking out Alexander Volkanovski - and had his sights set on a new division by the end of the year.
Then, he knocked out Charles Oliveira in June 2025 to claim the vacant lightweight title and become the 10th two-division champion in UFC history. And that brings us to the present day: Topuria's first 155-pound title defense against Gaethje.
Topuria is all about making history and will likely target Islam Makhachev's welterweight title if he beats Gaethje, especially after he watches Pereira try to win a third belt in Sunday's co-main event. Even with Arman Tsarukyan waiting in the wings, Topuria might skip right to a long-awaited superfight against Makhachev later this year if he delivers another impressive performance.
Pereira looking to enter the GOAT conversation
Dana White said last week that he believes Pereira would surpass Jon Jones as the greatest fighter of all time if he beats Gane and becomes the first three-division champion in UFC history.
Though the UFC CEO isn't too far off, it might be a little premature to outright call Pereira the GOAT after a win at the White House. At the very least, the 38-year-old Brazilian would be in the conversation.
Yes, Pereira and Gane are only fighting for the interim heavyweight title, and Tom Aspinall is still the No. 1 heavyweight in the UFC until proven otherwise. But a victory for Pereira would be huge, as no one has won titles in three different divisions, interim or undisputed, in the UFC's 33-year history.
It's hard to fathom "Poatan" being on the verge of greatness, considering he transitioned into MMA full-time in his 30s and began his UFC career less than five years ago. A late start like that usually isn't a recipe for success, but instead Pereira has gone on to become a two-division champion and headline some of the biggest events ever. A win over Gane would be another massive feather in his cap and place Pereira among the best to ever do it.
O'Malley eyeing another bantamweight title shot
Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley will be chasing an opportunity to regain the title when he steps into the Octagon against Aiemann Zahabi.
O'Malley was on the verge of global superstardom after winning the 135-pound belt in 2023, but back-to-back losses to Merab Dvalishvili derailed his career. Though he rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Song Yadong at UFC 324 in January, it doesn't feel like O'Malley has gotten all of his mojo back just yet. A win over Zahabi would be a big step in the right direction.
A lot has changed in the division since O'Malley was the champion. Dvalishvili lost the title to Petr Yan at UFC 323 last December, and those two will likely square off again later in 2026 - though nothing is set in stone. O'Malley just so happens to hold a win over Yan, which puts him in pretty strong contention for another title shot in the near future. But he needs to get past Zahabi before anything.
Will Hokit steal the show again?
Josh Hokit made more headlines than anyone else in the lead-up to his epic heavyweight slugfest with Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 in April, and then he stole the show with what'll go down as one of the best fights of the year.
Now, Hokit is set to compete on the biggest stage possible - and a viral moment in his fight with Derrick Lewis could make him one of the most popular names in MMA.
Beating Lewis in 2026 isn't as impressive as it was half a decade ago, but he's still a big name to have on your resume, and it would further establish Hokit as a legitimate title contender. With Pereira keen on a quick turnaround after UFC Freedom 250 and Aspinall sidelined with an eye injury, there's a chance Hokit could end up fighting Pereira if they both emerge victorious. That would be an absolute blockbuster.
Is it time for Nickal to finally go on a run?
Bo Nickal's UFC career hasn't progressed nearly as quickly as he would've hoped. By now, many expected he'd be a title contender or at least well on his way. Heck, at the start of 2023, I predicted that Nickal would crack the top 10 of the middleweight division by the end of that year. More than three years later, and he still hasn't come close.
There are a few reasons for that. Nickal hasn't been overly active, fighting just twice each year since 2023. He also hasn't faced top-tier opponents, and his lone significant step up in competition against Reinier de Ridder didn't go well.
Perhaps this weekend's fight against Kyle Daukaus is the start of the big run that everybody thought would happen a few years ago. Daukaus isn't a huge name, but he's on a hot streak and has a respectable skill set. A win could get Nickal on the right track.
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