Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Freedom 250

Gaethje claimed his place in this main event pairing by registering a unanimous decision win over Paddy Pimblett in the main event of UFC 324 earlier this year, winning the interim lightweight title. “The Highlight” has been a fixture in the title picture since arriving in the UFC in the summer of 2017, earning 10 wins in 15 starts while claiming the interim title twice and the symbolic BMF title once along with a total of 15 Performance Bonuses. Gaethje, 37, has acknowledged he is towards the end of his career and that the undisputed title is the one achievement that has still eluded him, having come up short in his two previous attempts to secure the title.

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Stylistically, this is a fascinating pairing on a number of fronts. From a striking standpoint, Topuria is the far more technical and fluid of the two. Gaethje has less of the “human demolition derby” approach he carried during early in his UFC career but is still a hard-nosed brawler to his core. He has punishing low kicks that he throws early and often, sound defensive instincts and a high fight IQ shown when he isn’t hellbent on landing something nasty. The interesting wrinkle could be in the grappling department. Gaethje has good offensive wrestling that he rarely deploys as well as suspect defensive instincts when put in bad positions, which doesn’t necessarily bode well for him against a legitimate black belt and proven finisher like Topuria. That being said, Topuria hasn’t needed to lean on his wrestling and submission game much in his UFC career, and we’ve yet to see if he can be as successful with it against a fighter of Gaethje’s size and stature.

A win for Topuria keeps him on a trajectory toward greatness and further solidifies his standing as not only the top lightweight in the world, but one of the very best fighters on the planet, while a victory for Gaethje would be an incredible capstone to a Hall of Fame career and a massive triumph for the American veteran.

Interim Heavyweight Championship Co-Main Event: Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane

In the co-main event of the evening, former two-division champion Alex Pereira looks to make history by winning the interim heavyweight title and becoming the first person to win UFC gold in three weight classes, but to do so, he’ll need to get through elite contender and former interim champ Ciryl Gane.

Pereira, 38, has been a record-setter and magnetic force in the four-plus years since he made his debut, posting a 10-2 record with three title-winning efforts, three successful defenses of the light heavyweight title, and a series of memorable moments that have carried the stoic, intimidating Brazilian to icon status amongst fight fans. 

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Gane, 36, has been a staple in the title conversation in the heavyweight division for the last six years dating back to his rise to winning the interim title in August 2021. He has fought for the undisputed title on three occasions, falling to Francis Ngannou (UFC 270) and Jon Jones (UFC 285) before his most recent attempt claim the title at UFC 321 against Tom Aspinall was halted towards the end of the first round when Gane poked Aspinall in the eyes, resulting in the bout being declared a no contest.

While heavyweight matchups are often boiled down to “whoever lands first wins,” there is much more to this pairing than two massive competitors slinging heavy shots at one another. “Poatan” is a world-class kickboxer and menacing physical presence with thunder in his hands, but the Brazilian is anything but a “swing and pray” type of fighter. The same has to be said of Gane, who is one of the most athletic and dynamic fighters to grace the division. While not as accomplished in kickboxing as his opponent this weekend, Gane mixes up his strikes extremely well and is light on his feet, bouncing in and out of attacks while avoiding damage. His kryptonite thus far has been in the grappling department, where both Ngannou and Jones were able to dominate on route to victory, though that isn’t likely to be a concern here.

Much has already been made — rightfully — about Pereira’s chance to make history and how that would impact not only his legacy, but the conversation about the greatest fighters of all-time as well, but there is plenty at stake for Gane here as well. “Bon Gamin” looked sharp in the opening moments of his clash with Aspinall, and this fight is as much about the opportunity to secure a rematch with the Brit as it is anything else. 

Additional Matchups

Sean O’Malley vs Aiemann Zahabi

Bantamweight standouts meet in the final non-title bout of the night as former champion Sean O’Malley steps in with streaking French-Canadian Aiemann Zahabi.

READ: Zahabi Is Ready To Break Out

O’Malley, 31, opened the year with a unanimous decision victory over Song Yadong at UFC 324. He had previously suffered back-to-back title fight losses to Merab Dvalishvili, which forced him from the bantamweight throne and into the crush of contenders all vying for position in the championship chase. Zahabi, 38, stands as one of the most unexpected contenders in the sport. He is a jack-of-all-trades who has steadily worked his way up the divisional ladder on the strength of seven straight wins, including victories over José Aldo and Marlon “Chito” Vera. The brother of famed coach Firas Zahabi, the ascending bantamweight has settled into the role of spoiler in the 135-pound ranks and views this weekend as an opportunity to upset the apple cart once more.

O’Malley has become much more of a sniper and low-output striker in recent years. As he’s climbed the ladder, he’s focused much more on countering and shot selection, especially against opponents that look to pressure, can challenge him on the feet or force him to be wary of getting taken down. “Suga” still has one of the more compete striking arsenals in the division, but he doesn’t utilize the full complement of his skills as often as he did during his rise. Meanwhile, Zahabi is a defensively responsible fighter who works behind excellent fundamentals and constant pressure while also showing incredible resiliency and understanding. While he is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt and has sound wrestling, he hasn’t leaned on those skills much in the UFC although O’Malley’s previous struggles in those realms could bring it out on Sunday.

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There is no question that this matchup carries legitimate championship ramification, probably more for O’Malley than Zahabi, but a big effort by the Montreal-native could definitely change things. With Dvalishvili likely to run it back with current and two-time champ Petr Yan later this year, the winner would clearly be set up as the clubhouse leader for the next title opportunity. The perception is that this is a more favorable fight for O’Malley than some of the other potential options that existed, but Zahabi is game, experienced, and fighting with the confidence of a gambler playing with house money, so counting him out here would be foolish.

Josh Hokit vs Derrick Lewis

Less than 10 months after earning his UFC contract, Josh Hokit has climbed his way into the Top 5 in the heavyweight division and landed himself a place on Sunday’s historic fight card in a matchup with all-time knockout leader Derrick Lewis that will unquestionably have a ripple effect on the title picture.

Top 15 lightweights Mauricio Ruffy and Michael Chandler clash in a matchup of athletes at very different stages of their careers that could still tell us a great deal about where each one stands in the division.

WATCH: Michael Chandler's American Story | UFC Freedom 250

Ruffy, 29, is a rising star in the lightweight ranks. He is coming off an outstanding second-round stoppage win over Top 15 mainstay Rafael Fiziev at UFC 325 and has earned finishes in all but one of his career wins. Chandler, 40, is one of the elder statesmen of the division who challenged for UFC gold in his second Octagon appearance and has resided in the rankings for the entirety of his run with the company. However, he comes into the fight — his first since UFC 314 — having dropped three in a row.

The hook of this one is the chance to see how Ruffy handles himself against someone who will crowd him, close the distance, and force him to grapple. His lone UFC setback came last September in a bout with Benoit Saint Denis where the “God of War” was able to wrestle Ruffy to the canvas and submit. Chandler is at a different stage of his career than Saint Denis, who sits at No. 5 in the rankings and has earned four-straight stoppage victories heading into his UFC 329 clash with Pimblett, but and if Chandler can dust off those weapons and tactics, it could make for an interesting contest.

Bo Nickal vs Kyle Daukaus

UFC Freedom 250 opens in the featherweight division with a clash between two-time title challenger Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia that is likely to start things off with a bang.

One of the most beloved fighters on the roster, Lopes, 30, opened the year with his second unanimous decision loss to Alexander Volkanovski in less than a year, leaving him stuck in purgatory so long as the Australian remains the featherweight champion. Lopes, a potent and aggressive finisher, is at his best when leaning into his front-foot tendencies and dictating the terms of engagement rather than trying to be technical and let the fight come to him.

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A dark horse in the 145-pound weight class, Garcia, 34, has earned seven straight wins with six finishes heading into his card-opening collision with Lopes. The Albuquerque-native is a bit of a late bloomer, but he has been lights out since moving to featherweight and should come away from this weekend with more people appreciating his skills regardless of how things shake out. This has the potential to be a more competitive matchup than some anticipate as the southpaw Garcia has a slight height and reach advantage over Lopes, which can be a challenge for many to deal with.

Expect fireworks.