UFC Freedom 250 is finally here!

We’re heading to the White House card after a gutting UFC Vegas 118. After closing as a massive and exciting favorite on the card, Fares Ziam sold hard against Tom Nolan, forcing us to take a massive negative swing. Had he won, we would have officially been in the positive for the year, but we’re now sitting at -5.895 Units in 2026.

We now have to hunt for value at UFC Freedom 250. There are only seven fights on the card, and it will take place on Sunday instead of Saturday. There’s plenty of big names on the card, including two UFC title fights. Let’s take a look at the entire card, and don’t forget to check back later in the week for our UFC Freedom 250 best bets.

UFC Freedom 250 Main Card Breakdown

Diego Lopes

1.61

2.36

Steve Garcia

Diego Lopes is coming off the absolute peak of his career. After losing to Alexander Volkanovski the first time, he halted the Jean Silva hype train dominantly, then got another shot at Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title but lost again. He’s 6-3 in the UFC and hasn’t been finished since 2018. His boxing has improved, his toughness is unquestionable, and his cardio is officially at championship level.

Steve Garcia is entering the biggest fight of his career. He’s on an absolute tear, winning his last seven UFC fights, and is 8-2 in the UFC. He hasn’t lost since being finished by Maheshate in 2022, and he’s proving to be one of the better power boxers in the division. He uses his length well, lands solid counterpunches, and executes well when he smells blood.

This is an incredible fight to kick off the night. It’s going to be a back-and-forth boxing affair, with both fighters looking for the big power shot to put someone down. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Lopes use some of his grappling to avoid some of the danger on the feet, but he can land a big power shot of his own. The volume is on Garcia’s side, with a strikes landed per minute of 5.39 compared to Lopes’ 3.83, but Lopes has the far better experience and more well-rounded game. He’s the rightful favorite, but Garcia could make this interesting.

Bo Nickal

1.28

3.75

Kyle Daukaus

Relatively speaking, Bo Nickal is overrated, but he hasn’t been fighting in MMA for a long time and had just one professional fight outside of the UFC before going on Dana White’s Contender Series. He’s 5-1 in the UFC, but the competition has been as low as possible, and the first time he took on a true challenger, he was finished in the second round. He doesn’t use his wrestling very much and is trying to prove that his striking is up to par. With all the pressure to perform and the UFC giving him every chance to succeed, Nickal seems to be on the hot seat every time he steps in the octagon.

Kyle Daukaus has enjoyed a career resurgence in his second stint with the UFC, and now he gets a massive chance at UFC Freedom 250. He won the CFFC title while outside the UFC, and came back with a bang against Michel Pereira. He finished the fight in under a minute, and followed that up with another win in under a minute when he submitted Gerald Meerschaert.

He’s 17-4 overall and riding a six-fight win streak. He’s proven to be a well-rounded fighter, and his durability and takedown defense will be the main concern heading into this fight.

Will Nickal finally use his wrestling? Controlling Daukaus from top position while avoiding the submission threats seems like his best path to victory. The problem is he tends to use his striking to find the highlight-reel finish. He’s been successful in the past, but Daukaus is a much better fighter than his past opponents. If the fight stays standing, Daukaus has a real chance to be the better fighter, whether it’s to find a finish or win rounds. Daukaus should also be the better grappler, but there is no doubting Nickal’s wrestling ability. The value seems to be on the underdog based on their previous fights.

Mauricio Ruffy

1.14

6.00

Michael Chandler

Mauricio Ruffy’s growth throughout his UFC career is admirable. He’s 4-1 overall, but it’s his ability to take on tougher competition that stands out. He started 3-0, took on King Green in his third UFC fight, then lost his fourth UFC fight to Benoit Saint-Denis via submission. While that could have been a setback, he followed that up with a second-round finish over Rafael Fiziev. He was the more technical fighter, and it was impressive to see him take over the fight and find a finish. He’s creative, powerful, and picks every shot well.

Michael Chandler is the most celebrated 2-5 UFC fighter of all time. He was a Bellator legend but hasn’t been able to deal with the UFC’s top talent in the lightweight division. His biggest claims to fame are knockout wins over Dan Hooker and Tony Ferguson, but other than that, he’s been underwhelming. Last time out was likely his worst performance ever against Paddy Pimblett. He was dominated on the feet and had no answer for Pimblett’s grappling, losing the fight via knockout while stuck in bottom mount. Despite his MMA wrestling skills, he is another fighter who chooses to fight exciting and pays the price.

The big question is, will Chandler finally use his wrestling to avoid Ruffy’s striking? There is no doubt that Ruffy will be the more poised striker with far more ways to finish the fight. Saint-Denis proved that the best way to beat him is to get him down and work from the ground, but Chandler has annoyingly refused to entertain any type of wrestling match given the current demand for exciting fights. If he cares to win, spamming takedowns and getting the fight to the ground is his best path to victory, but it would be far from shocking to see Chandler take a chance in the striking exchanges to land a finishing blow. Simply based on that, the betting line makes sense, and it’s hard to take a chance on Chandler.

Josh Hokit

1.24

4.20

Derrick Lewis

Josh Hokit is the fastest-growing star in the UFC right now, and he backed it up in his recent fight with Curtis Blaydes. In what was an early candidate for fight of the year, it was a classic heavyweight showdown with both fighters landing massive blows while eating plenty of damage. His showboating and gimmicks are controversial, but the Blaydes fight earned him plenty of respect, to the point where he was added to the White House card immediately after the fight. He still looks raw, struggled with fatigue, and could have been finished against a more powerful striker. At the same time, he has his wrestling to lean on against better strikers.

Enter Derrick Lewis. While he isn’t known for his technical skill, Lewis is considered the most powerful striker in the division. He is far removed from his fighting prime, but his stock will never fall. He’s a fan favorite, exactly what the UFC is looking for, and won two straight fights heading into 2026. He lost his most recent outing to Waldo Cortes-Acosta, who is becoming a top heavyweight in the division. There’s nothing fancy about Lewis’ style. He’s heavy-handed and wants to keep the fight standing, and if you choose to engage, he has a better puncher’s chance than most of the roster.

After the performance against Blaydes, it will be interesting to see if Hokit goes back to his wrestling against Lewis. There’s a six-inch reach disadvantage, and Lewis is a true heavyweight. The punches will have way more power behind them, and the first round will be a war if it stays standing. Hokit has multiple paths to victory here. Even if he chooses to keep the fight standing early, he just has to weather the storm and hope Lewis gets tired. He had an insane second win against Blaydes in the second round, and that could be enough to take over the fight against Lewis. With multiple ways to win the fight, Hokit has a good chance to continue his UFC rise. If you’re thinking about an underdog shot, taking Lewis by knockout, or even Lewis by round one knockout, are the only bets that make sense.

Sean O’Malley

1.22

4.40

Aiemann Zahabi

Sean O’Malley is in a weird spot. Against anyone not named Merab Dvalishvili, he’s been successful. The Petr Yan win was controversial, but it was still against the current champion. He made up for his Marlon Vera loss with a title defense, and most recently beat Yadong Song, who looked dominant his last time out. With a 72-inch reach at bantamweight, O’Malley is elite at using his length, landing solid volume, and getting out of danger. Given his level of opponents, maintaining a 60% striking defense and accuracy is a testament to just how good he is at range.

Aiemann Zahabi, despite being 38 years old, is a fresh face atop the UFC bantamweight division. Heading into 2021, he wasn’t very active, but he’s riding a seven-fight win streak since then with two finishes under his belt. The biggest takeaway from his rise is he’s improved drastically over the years, and his defensive striking is elite at 69%. When looking at his recent streak, the biggest takeaway is he does just enough to secure the win, and we have yet to see him in a five-round fight.

While this isn’t a five-round fight, Zahabi has definitely met his match when it comes to defensive striking and counters. O’Malley has the much better striking differential and lands at a far higher clip. This fight should stay standing, but Zahabi could threaten takedowns if O’Malley is too much on the feet. Zahabi is well coached and will have multiple plans in place to secure victory. Given the reach and striking advantage, it’s hard to see O’Malley losing this fight, even if Zahabi reverts to taking the fight to the ground.

Alex Pereira

1.90

Ciryl Gane

Alex Pereira’s heavyweight debut is the most anticipated event in all of MMA right now. He’s looking to be a three-division champion, and is fighting for the title in his heavyweight debut. He’s 10-2 in the UFC, and eight of his 12 fights have been for a title. He made up for his loss to Magomed Ankalaev by knocking him out in just over a minute last year. After spending the last few years at light heavyweight and dominating, he’s now moving up again. He’s an elite kickboxer with a deadly left hook, and he’s already considered one of the best fighters of all time.

Ciryl Gane is fighting for the title again. His only career losses are to Francis Ngannou via decision and Jon Jones via submission, both for the UFC heavyweight title. His last fight was for the title as well, but it was declared a no contest due to an eye poke injury to Tom Aspinall. With Aspinall on the sidelines, Gane gets another shot at UFC gold. He’s a French-style kickboxer who has never been knocked out, and his only finish loss is against the greatest MMA fighter of all time. He has sneaky submission skills and has become a well-rounded fighter.

This has all the makings of a classic fight. Both fighters have strong kickboxing backgrounds and can be tough to finish. While Pereira should be the more powerful striker, Gane is incredibly technical and has solid defensive skills. He’ll know what to avoid against Pereira, and how to counter to land the better shots. With this being at heavyweight, Pereira will need to avoid the big counters and be ready to land when he can. This is another fight that should stay standing, but whether it turns into a brawl or stays technical remains to be seen. It’s hard to pull Gane into a slugfest, but Pereira will do everything he can to make that happen.

Ilia Topuria

1.19

4.90

Justin Gaethje

Ilia Topuria is another fighter on the path to greatness. At just 29 years old, he’s 17-0, won the UFC featherweight title against Volkanovski, and then beat Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title. The only two fighters to go the distance with him are Josh Emmett and Youssef Zalal, other than that, everyone has been finished within three rounds. When he was younger, he was known for his wrestling and submission skills, but as he’s developed, his boxing and power are becoming his best weapons. He sees everything, counters well, and throws with intent. He is approaching pound-for-pound status quickly.

Justin Gaethje is another fan favorite, despite some recent controversy, and his win over Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title got him the biggest fight of his career at UFC Freedom 250. Gaethje’s fights are always exciting, and sometimes he gives us a taste of his technical skills as well. The Pimblett fight was a great example, where his forward pressure and willingness to take a punch to land the better blows were on full display. At 38 years old, this will be the biggest fight of Gaethje’s career.

Topuria’s skills are so hard to match. Gaethje has said the only way to deal with him is to push forward and maintain a relentless pace. When you let Topuria gauge space and control the fight, it’s all but over. Gaethje will make this a brawl and hope to keep Topuria on his toes. The problem with that is Topuria is arguably the more powerful puncher, the better defensive fighter, and Gaethje eats 7.05 strikes per minute. That is a recipe for disaster against Topuria. Topuria is also a great grappler, which could negate Gaethje’s wrestling. It’s not completely out of this world to see Gaethje win, but Topuria has looked like the best fighter in the world, and it’s hard to go against that.

UFC Freedom 250 Best Bets

2025 Total Units Won: +29.97 Units

2026 Record: 35-58-1, -5.895 Units

(Coming soon…)

After all the random cards the UFC has put on over the last while, UFC Freedom 250 is a collection of incredible fights from top to bottom. With just seven fights and no prelims, the UFC knows it’s trying to put on the best show of the year. We’re getting two title fights, and 14 ranked fighters doing battle on a Sunday night. What could possibly be better than that?
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