UFC Freedom 250: Topuria vs. Gaethje - Odds, Predictions, Picks

UFC Freedom 250 is stacked: two title fights and an additional five salivating bouts that all have serious implications on their respective divisions. Get ready for a mammoth UFC White House card, and check out our comprehensive fight-by-fight previews, the latest odds and our predictions.

• Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje headline the event as they battle it out for the UFC Lightweight Championship

• It’s former light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane in the co-main event for the Interim Heavyweight title

Come and celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday with us as we preview the entire UFC Freedom 250 fight card taking place on the South Lawn of the White House.

UFC Freedom 250: Topuria vs. Gaethje - Odds

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UFC Freedom 250: Topuria vs. Gaethje - Picks & Predictions

Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje - Lightweight Title Bout

• Our pick: Ilia Topuria by KO/TKO (-210) at FanDuel

Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane - Heavyweight Interim Title Bout

• Our pick: Ciryl Gane by Points (+290) at FanDuel

Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi - Bantamweight Division

• Our pick: Sean O’Malley by KO/TKO (+200) at FanDuel

Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis - Heavyweight Division

• Our pick: Derrick Lewis (+310) at FanDuel

Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler - Lightweight Division

• Our pick: Mauricio Ruffy by KO/TKO (-210) at FanDuel

Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus - Middleweight Division

• Our pick: Bo Nickal by Submission (+380) at FanDuel

Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia - Featherweight Division

• Our pick: Steve Garcia (+130) at FanDuel

Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje - Lightweight Title Bout

Yet to suffer a defeat throughout his pro career, Topuria is the reigning UFC lightweight champion after he marked his return to the division with an impressive knockout victory over Charles Oliveira last June. He’s the resounding -560 favorite with FanDuel for the culminating bout of the night that will unify the lightweight division.

“El Matador” has an extremely impressive resume, having defeated several former UFC champions in Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Oliveira. He KO’d all three of those legends, too, proving just how ruthless the 29-year-old is. Another win over a gutsy Gaethje, who has several outstanding wins on his record himself, will all but seal Topuria’s status as one of the best ever to grace the sport.

Gaethje will certainly be no walk in the park, though, and is the current interim lightweight champ after beating Paddy Pimblett by decision earlier this year. He’s held the interim title twice and also won the BMF title after finishing Dustin Poirier with a head kick in July 2023. However, “the Highlight” turns 38 later this year and is heading towards the twilight of his career.

Topuria has only submitted one opponent throughout his time in the UFC, but he is a black belt in BJJ, which could cause problems for Gaethje. His boxing skills are also at an elite level, and his intricate and clean combinations could easily finish “the Highlight” early. Gaethje is a dog, though, and can eat plenty of shots if needed. If he can earn the surprise victory, he will finally earn the undisputed belt that he’s been searching for his whole career.

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Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane - Heavyweight Interim Title Bout

Pereira is aiming to become the first-ever UFC fighter to claim a title in three divisions when he takes on Gane this weekend. The Brazilian won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship with a first-round knockout victory over Magomed Ankalaev last October, but vacated the title back in April. He’s the narrow -108 underdog with FanDuel for this bout, as he takes the step up to the heavyweight division.

“Poatan” has moved up to the 265 lbs weight class for this fight, which has raised some concerns regarding how he will deal with that extra bulk and muscle. Gane moves well for a heavyweight, and will hope to use his athleticism to his advantage. He earned a shot at the interim title here after defeating Alexander Volkov by split decision before his fight with Tom Aspinall was ruled a no contest.

For Pereira, he’ll need to lean on his elite kickboxing to defeat Gane. He was an incredible fighter at light heavyweight, going on a five-fight streak from 2023 to 2024 with triumphs over Jan Błachowicz, Jiří Procházka, Jamahal Hill, and Khalil Rountree Jr. Despite that impressive record, this is another step up against a big man in “Bon Gamin”.

Gane should have the movement to dodge the bulk of Periera’s strikes, while still being able to hit the Brazilian with difficult combinations. Pereira has the power to finish anybody, even at heavyweight, so Gane will have to be cautious and avoid the big shots.

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Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi - Bantamweight Division

Former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley returns to the Octagon for the second time this year, as he squares off against No. 6 ranked contender Aiemann Zahabi. “Suga” is the -460 favorite with FanDuel up against the streaking Zahabi, and will look to keep his opponent at range and make the most of his reach advantage. 

O’Malley got back in the win column back in January with a win over Song Yadong after suffering back-to-back defeats to Merab Dvalishvili, losing and failing to win back the belt. This is a chance for “Suga” to gain some momentum and put himself back in title contention against Petr Yan.

Zahabi will dig in and try to create problems for O’Malley, but it does feel like the latter should be getting the victory in this one. Canadian fighter Zahabi is on a seven-fight win streak, though, and has underrated technical skills and a sharp fight IQ. If he can take this fight to the ground, there’s a chance O’Malley’s weak wrestling could get exposed.

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Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis - Heavyweight Division

Josh Hokit and Curtis Blaydes fought in an all out war back in April, and it’s Hokit who got on the right side of a decision victory to face off against Derrick Lewis at the White House. “The Incredible Hok” has been with the promotion for less than a year, but is already the No. 5 ranked contender in the heavyweight division. He’s the massive -440 favorite with FanDuel for his bout with veteran Lewis.

Hokit has made a seismic impact on the heavyweight class over the last year. He’s a top athlete, and will hope to continue on his hot streak with a win over Lewis, who’s now aged 41. Despite Lewis’ age, he still has incredible knockout power that could humble an undefeated Hokit. While “The Black Beast” is coming into this bout on the back of a loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta, he has proven throughout his career he can bounce back.

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Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler - Lightweight Division

Two Top 15 contenders in the lightweight division will go head-to-head this Sunday. Mauricio Ruffy is the -750 favorite with FanDuel, as he looks to build on his TKO win over Rafael Fiziev back in February. He takes on 40-year-old vet Michael Chandler, who’s looking to stop a three-fight skid.

Ruffy has lost just one of his five UFC fights thus far, getting submitted by Benoît Saint Denis last September. Three of his four promotional victories have been by knockout, and Chandler has lost five of his last six bouts, being finished early three times.

“Iron” has the grappling skills to cause Ruffy problems, but it feels unlikely that he will be able to inflict much damage given his age. “One Shot” should have enough power in him to finish this one early.

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Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus - Middleweight Division

Bo Nickal got back to winning ways with an early finish against Rodolfo Vieira last time out, bouncing back from his first-ever loss to Reinier de Ridder. He’s the -360 favorite with FanDuel against Kyle Daukaus for the middleweight bout.

Nickal is a top wrestler, but has yet to really show off those skills in the UFC so far. He’s proven he has an excellent striking ability, however, with his wins over Vieira and Paul Craig. The 30-year-old could take this one down to the mat since he is the superior wrestler.

Daukaus recently returned to the promotion after a tough opening campaign. He had a fairly poor record of 2-4-0, 1 NC during his first stint, but is 2-0 since he rejoined the UFC last August. This will be a good test for Nickal to see where he’s at and whether he can make a genuine run and rise up the rankings.

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Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia - Featherweight Division

UFC Freedom 250 opens with No. 2 ranked Diego Lopes meeting No. 9 ranked contender Steve Garcia in the featherweight division. Lopes has made his way through several top fighters in the weight class, picking up wins over Dan Ige, Brian Ortega, and Jean Silva. He’s the -166 favorite with FanDuel for his bout with Garcia.

“Mean Machine” has won his last seven consecutive fights in the UFC, including wins over Melquizael Costa, Calvin Kattar, and David Onama. At 34, now’s the chance for Garcia to make some serious headway in the division. He could prove to be an incredibly tough opponent for Lopes, who recently failed to get past Alexander Volkanovski twice.

While Brazilian Lopes is an aggressive finisher, he has proven he can go the distance if needed, demonstrated by his decision wins over Ortega and Ige. For Garcia, he should be able to land plenty of shots on Lopes in what could be a chaotic conflict and one that has Fight of the Night potential.

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How to Watch UFC Freedom 250: Topuria vs. Gaethje

• Location: The White House, Washington, DC, United States

• When: Sunday, June 14

• Time: 8:00 PM ET

• How: Paramount+