Ilia Topuria, the lightweight champion, will headline the UFC Freedom 250 fight card at the White House, where he is set to face Justin Gaethje in a title unification bout. Topuria, who is ranked No. 2 in the UFC, was initially slated to fight Islam Makhachev, the reigning 170-pound champion and top pound-for-pound fighter. However, due to Makhachev's injury, Topuria had to pivot to face Gaethje, a two-time interim titleholder. Topuria expressed his disappointment, stating that he was close to fighting Makhachev, as the UFC had initially offered him that matchup. In the co-main event, former two-division champion Alex Pereira will attempt to become the first fighter to win championships in three different UFC divisions when he faces Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title.