Pereira to fight for third title at UFC White House

Alex Pereira will attempt to become the first fighter to win UFC titles in three weight divisions when he faces Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight belt at the White House on 14 June.

The event, named UFC Freedom 250, was announced by US President Donald Trump last year and is being held to celebrate 250 years of American independence.

Brazil’s former middleweight champion Pereira vacated his light-heavyweight title last month to pursue a historic third belt at heavyweight.

Briton Aspinall suffered accidental eye pokes which left him needing surgery on both eyes.

Pereira’s bout with Gane, which will take place on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington DC, will serve as the co-main event on the six-fight card.

The main event will be a unification fight between lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and interim title holder Justin Gaethje.

Spanish-Georgian Topuria has not fought since June after dealing with personal issues following his divorce, while American Gaethje beat Britain’s Paddy Pimblett for the interim belt in January.

The White House has hosted recreational sports and events before but the UFC’s show will mark the first professional live sporting event to take place on the grounds.

The UFC is set to spend about $60m (£44.3m) on the event.

Full details are yet to be confirmed, but UFC president Dana White said he expects about 5,000 spectators on the South Lawn, with a further 85,000 watching at a nearby park called the Ellipse.

When Trump first announced plans for the UFC to host a show at the White House, although an ambitious idea, it did not come as a surprise.

White has a long-standing friendship with Trump, who held some of the early UFC shows at one of his old properties, the Trump Taj Mahal, in 2001.

The friendship blossomed, with Trump appearing as a guest at numerous UFC shows, where he is the guest of honour with his own walk-out moment.

The friendship is compounded by White’s public endorsement of the president, and he became a key ally during the 2024 election campaign.

It is here where the lines between sport and politics blur, with the UFC – through the voice of White, who acts as the promotion’s mouthpiece – providing a platform for Trump’s politics.

Trump benefits by aligning himself with the UFC, which is embedded in themes like patriotism, toughness and machoism, because it leans into the image many of his political fans arguably support.

The UFC benefits from the relationship by reaching audiences through Trump’s global public platform when he attends shows and publicly endorses fighters, such as Colby Covington and Jon Jones.

Trump’s government also provide a powerful ally as the UFC seeks to tighten its grip on MMA in the US and be given the same opportunity in boxing.

The UFC has faced challenges to its business practices, paying out £281m in a 2025 lawsuit and facing two more from former fighters.

As Trump fronts the US-Israeli strikes in Iran and his approval rating at home falls, UFC White House may be a welcome distraction – and boost – for Trump on his birthday.