UFC White House MMA KO Staff Predictions for Topuria vs. Gaethje, Pereira vs. Gane

The wait for “UFC Freedom 250” is nearly over, and the MMA Knockout staff have made their picks for all seven fights on the card.

The main event will see Ilia Topuria defend his lightweight belt for the first time against interim titleholder Justin Gaethje. In the co-main event, Alex Pereira will attempt to become the first fighter in UFC history to win belts in three divisions when he and Ciryl Gane square off for the interim heavyweight strap.

The rest of the card features Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi, Derick Lewis vs. Josh Hokit, Michael Chandler vs. Mauricio Ruffy, Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus, and Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia.

Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje Predictions

UFC President and CEO Dana White (center) separates Ilia Topuria (left) and Justin Gaethje as they face-off during a press conference for the UFC Freedom 250 at Lincoln Memorial. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Drew Beaupré: Gaethje may very well go down as the most exciting MMA fighter of all time and is a lock for the UFC Hall of Fame, but nothing about his win over Paddy Pimblett made me feel like he’ll be able to pull off the upset here. He obviously still packs considerable power and always has the chance of putting Topuria out with the perfect shot, but I watched the interim champion eat way too many clean punches from Pimblett to expect anything other than another knockout from “El Matador”. (Pick: Topuria)

Zain Bando: In the main event, Justin Gaethje will arguably get his last shot at winning undisputed gold when he takes on Ilia Topuria. To put it simply, this is Topuria’s fight to lose. On the feet, both men could expect to trade in the pocket, but Topuria’s volume and brutality will be too much for Gaethje to handle if it doesn’t go past the opening round. Should Topuria win, he’ll have defeated Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, and Gaethje, marking one of the greatest four-fight runs in UFC history. If Gaethje reverses his course, however, it will go down as one of the best feel-good stories in recent MMA history, but it’s easier said than done. (Pick: Topuria)

Verdict: Unanimous for Topuria

Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane Predictions

Alex Pereira (left) and Ciryl Gane shake hands after facing-off during a press conference for the UFC Freedom 250 at Lincoln Memorial. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Drew: We all know Pereira has fight-ending power that presumably will still translate to the heavyweight division, but I don’t love the fact that a lot of people seem to be treating it like a foregone conclusion that he’s going to win this fight and claim a third UFC belt. I won’t be at all surprised if “Poatan” does end things with a big knockout, especially in the first round or two. That being said, we’ve yet to see the Brazilian fight at heavyweight, and Gane is a talented striker in his own right that will continue picking away with shots if Pereira slows down during the course of the fight. (Pick: Gane)

Zain: Although Alex Pereira was initially set to face Tom Aspinall for the UFC Heavyweight Championship, Pereira will still get his crack at becoming a three-division champion should he get past the former interim champion, Ciryl Gane. Pereira redeemed himself last October with a TKO win against Magomed Ankalaev before making the transition to heavyweight. Pereira has a chance to cement his legacy with a win over Gane by making UFC history in the process. Meanwhile, Gane will try to be one of the few men to beat Pereira and clinch a would-be rematch with Aspinall. Aspinall-Gane was halted at UFC 321 due to inadvertent eye pokes, leading to yet another shuffling act at
heavyweight. If Gane can’t drag the fight into the later rounds, it could be a short, effective night for a Brazilian superstar who continues to show his worth to the UFC nearly every time out. (Pick: Pereira)

Verdict: 1-1 Split

Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi Predictions

Sean O'Malley (left) and Aiemann Zahabi (center) pose for a photo with Dana White after facing-off during a press conference for the UFC Freedom 250 at Lincoln Memorial. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Drew: I know I’m not the only one guilty of this, but I’ll freely admit that I’ve continually underrated Zahabi at several points during his current seven-fight win streak. I’m still siding with O’Malley to most likely outpoint the Canadian over the course of three rounds, but Zahabi is very much a live dog here and the current betting odds feel a bit too wide. (Pick: O’Malley)

Zain: Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley precedes the back-to-back title fights opposite Aiemann Zahabi. O’Malley is due for a bounce-back win after struggling in consecutive fights with Merab Dvalishvili to try and regain his title. On the contrary, Zahabi is ushering in the biggest challenge of his career and will need to avoid O’Malley’s counterstriking to make the fight interestingly competitive. If not, O’Malley will be able to point-fight his way forward for 15 minutes (or secure a knockout) to remain in the title shot conversation. (Pick: O’Malley)

Verdict: Unanimous for O’Malley

Derrick Lewis vs. Josh Hokit Predictions

Derrick Lewis (left) and Josh Hokit face-off during a press conference for the UFC Freedom 250 at Lincoln Memorial. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Drew: If you had presented me with hypothetical matchups against Lewis and Curtis Blaydes for Hokit prior to him beating Blaydes at UFC 327, I probably would have picked Lewis as the more favorable fight for him. It’s extremely difficult to know what to expect from Lewis at this stage of his
career, and while it’s clear that things will favor Hokit the longer the fight goes on, I’ll side with “The Black Beast” to connect with something big and add to his record-number of knockouts in the UFC. (Pick: Lewis)

Zain: Arguably a "Fight of the Night" contender, Josh Hokit’s brash persona collides with the longevity and knockout power of Derrick Lewis. The uglier the fight gets, the more it favors Hokit. But, should Lewis stay at a distance and within a range, a knockout is his for the taking — in front of President Donald Trump. Only time will tell, though, come Sunday night. (Pick: Lewis)

Verdict: Unanimous for Lewis

Michael Chandler vs. Mauricio Ruffy Predictions

Mauricio Ruffy (left) and Michael Chandler face-off and Dana White looks on during a press conference for the UFC Freedom 250 at Lincoln Memorial. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Drew: Instead of rebooking what seemed to be a fairly well-matched fight between Chandler and Conor McGregor, the UFC has given both men brutal matchups just one month apart from each other. Chandler is always game and still fairly dangerous during the early going, but it’s hard to see a path to victory for a 40-year-old version of him unless he can keep Ruffy on the mat for three rounds. (Pick: Ruffy)

Zain: Another fan-favorite fight at lightweight sees Michael Chandler make his return to the UFC opposite Mauricio Ruffy. Even though it isn’t Chandler’s dream fight against Conor McGregor, Ruffy is a formidable challenger with 12 wins by KO/TKO and is riding momentum with three wins in his last four outings. If Chandler can’t make it a slugfest of his own, it could be a really short night for “Iron.” (Pick: Ruffy)

Verdict: Unanimous for Ruffy

Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus Predictions

Bo Nickal and Kyle Daukaus face-off during a press conference for the UFC Freedom 250 at Lincoln Memorial. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Drew: Daukaus has scored two impressive wins since rejoining the UFC, but there’s little doubt that the UFC is expecting Nickal to win this and further distance himself from that loss to Reinier de Ridder. Daukaus has never been submitted as a pro, and I think he’s actually the more likely of the two to find a finish here unless Nickal has made some significant improvements to his striking. Rather than predict what could potentially be a lackluster decision-victory from Nickal, I’ll pick Daukaus to pull of the upset and secure the biggest win of his career. (Pick: Daukaus)

Zain: After meeting Donald Trump in previous years and telling him he would be a UFC fighter, Bo Nickal now has a chance to live out that dream when he fights Kyle Daukaus. The anticipation of the White House event is too palpable to allow Nickal to complete a lifelong goal, as he’ll look for a quick submission stoppage. (Pick: Nickal)

Verdict: 1-1 Split

Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia Predictions

Diego Lopes (left) and Steve Garcia face-off and Dana White looks on during a press conference for the UFC Freedom 250 at Lincoln Memorial. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Drew: As good of a run as Garcia has been on, this is a pretty major step up from the likes of David Onama and an aging version of Calvin Kattar that came into their matchup following four-straight losses. We’ve seen Alexander Volkanovski showcase the blueprint for how to nullify Lopes’ effectiveness on the feet, but I don’t know that Garcia will be able to replicate that approach or find a knockout against a fighter that hasn’t been stopped since 2018. (Pick: Lopes)

Zain: Neither Diego Lopes nor Steve Garcia are in boring fights. Competing on the South Lawn of The White House should be no different. This is certainly an elevated challenge for Garcia, but for Lopes, he’s used to these pressure-filled stages. Come fight night, expect all action from the opening bell, but Lopes’ crisp striking will ultimately make the difference. (Pick: Lopes)

Verdict: Unanimous for Lopes

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