WASHINGTON, D.C. — Construction crews are building a temporary arena on the White House South Lawn to host the UFC Freedom 250 fight card on Sunday, June 14, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET. The event will feature a main event between reigning UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and former interim champion Justin Gaethje.

U.S. Army National Guard soldiers are patrolling near the South Lawn as construction of the arena proceeds. The unusual venue marks a high-profile staging of a major mixed martial arts event on federal grounds.

Topuria, 29, holds dual citizenship from Georgia and Spain and enters the bout with an undefeated professional record of 17-0, including 9-0 in the UFC. He has won his past three fights by knockout. Gaethje, a 37-year-old American, is a two-time interim UFC lightweight champion.

The co-main event will see Alex Pereira face Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight title. Pereira, a 38-year-old fighter from Brazil with 13 professional victories—11 by knockout—is moving up to the heavyweight division for this bout.

Additional bouts on the card include a heavyweight matchup between American fighters Josh Hokit and Derrick Lewis, both former college football players. Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley will fight Canada’s Aiemann Zahabi, and three-time Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler will face Brazil’s Mauricio Ruffy. Other scheduled contests feature middleweights Kyle Daukaus and Bo Nickal, and featherweights Steve Garcia and Brazil’s Diego Lopes.

The UFC Freedom 250 fight card will be streamed on Paramount, starting at $8.99 per month.