The UFC Freedom 250 card finally got its full shape when Dana White confirmed the complete lineup for June 14. For the first time, a professional sports event will be held on the White House South Lawn to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
The venue is considerably small, with 3,000 to 4,000 seats reserved mostly for military guests. Another 85,000 fans can watch for free on large screens at the nearby Ellipse.
In the main event, champion Ilia Topuria faces interim titleholder Justin Gaethje to unify the Lightweight Championship. The co-main event features Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane competing for the Interim Heavyweight Championship.
With six weeks to go, Topuria has said something quite chilling that is likely to follow him all the way to fight night.
Ilia Topuria Declares Financial Freedom Before Justin Gaethje Title Bout
Topuria recently confirmed to journalist Jorge Ebro that he no longer fights for money. He explained that his family is now financially secure, allowing him to focus entirely on his skills.
“For the first time in my life, I’m going to step into the octagon where my life doesn’t depend on what happens in there,” Topuria said.
He added, “Thank God for giving me the stability where neither I nor my children will ever lack anything. So now you’re going to see a different Ilia. You’re going to see El Matador, not at 100% but at 200%, someone who truly enjoys the art. If I was dangerous before, now I’m extremely dangerous.”
Ilia Topuria says he no longer needs to fight for money after his last fight:
“For the first time in my life, I’m going to step into the octagon where my life doesn’t depend on what happens in there.
Thank God for giving me the stability where neither I nor my children will… pic.twitter.com/n0CL4Q29jf
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 1, 2026
Topuria’s journey started in Alicante, Spain, where his refugee parents worked blue-collar jobs. His early UFC fights paid as little as $39,000.
Today, the 29-year-old has a high score in his bank account, with over $8.5 million in career earnings. This total comes from a series of high-paying fights.
Just to recap, he earned roughly $1 million during his early rise, followed by a $3.9 million payday against Max Holloway and another $3.6 million for defeating Charles Oliveira. His business interests also include a stake in the Spanish MMA promotion WOW FC, where he is now partners with Cristiano Ronaldo.
This security allows him to fight with total freedom, which could be a problem for Justin Gaethje’s camp because he has vowed to give his 200% inside the White House.
Topuria’s opponent, 37-year-old Justin Gaethje, holds a 27-5 record and is known as one of the division’s most aggressive strikers. The main event was originally supposed to feature Islam Makhachev.
But Makhachev accused Topuria’s team of demanding an unrealistic purse, which eventually started bad blood on social media and removed his name from the card.
“El Matador” is currently on arguably the greatest three-fight run in UFC history. The two-time champion last fought at UFC 317, where he knocked out Charles Oliveira at exactly the 2:27 mark of the first round with a right-left hook combination.
Now financially secure and undefeated, Topuria says he is more dangerous than ever. So, this fight on the White House lawn will be a major test for Gaethje’s durability.
