Sovran Star

Ilia Topuria, 29, of Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain and Justin Gaethje, 37, of Denver, Colorado, United States will headline the Ultimate Fighting Championship event “UFC Freedom 250” on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., USA on June 14, 2026. This is the first ever combat sports event held at the official residence and workplace of the country’s president.

“UFC Freedom 250“

Topuria will defend his UFC Lightweight Championship belt at “UFC Freedom 250”. This is his first title defense.

Gaethje, the challenger, has been the interim UFC Lightweight Champion since January 24, 2026. He won the same title on May 9, 2020 but did not become the undisputed champion of the division after the title was vacated on March 19, 2021.

Before the title bout between Topuria and Gaethje, Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gaene will battle it out for the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship title. Since June 21, 2025, Tom Aspinall has been the undisputed champion of the division.

Ilia Topuria

A dual citizen of Georgia and Spain, Topuria speaks Georgian, Spanish, English and Mingrelian. He made his professional mixed martial arts debut in Valencia, Valencian Community on April 4, 2015.

In 2019, Topuria won two BRAVE Combat Federation bouts. In 2020, he joined the UFC as a featherweight and won two bouts in the promotion that year.

In 2022, Topuria made his debut as a lightweight then returned to featherweight. He became the UFC Featherweight Champion on February 17, 2024 and successfully defended the title on October 26, 2024.

On June 28, 2025, Topuria won the UFC Lightweight Champion. His victory improved his professional MMA record to 17 wins and 0 loss, making him one of the few active undefeated MMA fighters with more than 15 professional wins.

Born in Halle, Gütersloh, Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Topuria turned 29 on January 21, 2026. His Georgian parents were refugees from Abkhazia, a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus.

Halle and Ronchin, Nord, Hauts-de-France, France have been twin towns since September 22, 1984. Since 2020, Thomas Tappe has been the mayor of Halle, a town with six subdivisions.