EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe UFC will put on one of its most anticipated fight cards of the year this week, as the promotion hosts an event on the White House's South Lawn on Sunday night.In the main event, Ilia Topuria, ESPN's No. 2-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, will put the lightweight title on the line against Justin Gaethje, who beat Patty Pimblett by unanimous decision to earn an interim title and a shot at Topuria. "El Matador" enters the fight with an unbeaten 17-0 record and has knocked out each of the UFC all-timers he has faced in his past three outings (Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira, respectively).Despite Topuria's impressive run and the title stakes in his matchup against Gaethje, their fight may not be the most anticipated bout on the card. Here is ESPN's rankings of the seven UFC Freedom 250 fights, as voted on by a panel of experts including Carlos Contreras Legaspi, Andrew Davis, Andreas Hale, Brett Okamoto and Jeff Wagenheim. The ranking is based on style matchups, pedigree, stakes, potential storylines, prefight hype and potential for jaw-dropping moments.7. Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia, featherweightThe job of the fighters filling the first slot on the first-ever fight card at the White House is very simple: Start this thing off with a bang. Set the tone for the rest of the night. Lopes and Garcia were chosen for this exact spot because of how they fight. There are a lot of divisional implications to this matchup as well, and we can talk about those later. For now, all you need to know is this fight was built to be a fireworks show. -- Okamoto6. Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus, middleweightIf there's an American sports hero on the White House card, Nickal is the guy. He's a three-time NCAA Division I wrestling national champion, and even though he has just nine MMA fights under his belt, the UFC continues to challenge him to see if it has a future champion on its hands. After suffering his only career loss a year ago, Nickal bounced back spectacularly with a head-kick knockout in November. Now he faces the resilient Daukaus, who is 2-0 with two finishes in his second UFC run. Daukaus's well-rounded skillset should test how much Nickal's game has grown. -- Wagenheim5. Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi, men's bantamweightThere was a time, not so long ago, when a "Suga Sean" appearance would top most any list of highly anticipated fights. Even now, the UFC is billing O'Malley just below the two title bouts on this historic fight card. And yet the former champion, with one fight so far this year and one in 2025, seems to have faded out of the spotlight a bit, which is not easy to do with that kaleidoscopic hairdo of his. O'Malley has lost two of his past three bouts, but the defeats were against his successor as champ, Merab Dvalishvili. He's still a player in the 135-pound division. To remain that way, he'll need to handle a red-hot opponent. Zahabi has won five straight fights, but he's ranked lower than O'Malley, so this is a no-excuses test. -- Wagenheim4. Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler, lightweightRuffy is a bully inside the Octagon. Literally any fight he's involved in carries main event potential at this point. He suffered a submission loss to Benot Saint Denis last September, but that seems more like a temporary setback than a statement on his future potential. This could be his true coming-out party, considering he's fighting a seasoned veteran in the historic setting. Chandler is 40 years old, and we don't know how many fights he has left, but he campaigned hard to be included on this card. With that in mind, and knowing his track record as an entertainer, he is certainly going to put on a show. This one figures to end violently, and either way it goes, there will be a story coming out of it. Either Ruffy's starpower multiplies, or Chandler produces a must-see moment on the White House lawn. -- Okamoto3. Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis, heavyweightTwo larger-than-life personalities slugging it out until one is put to sleep? Sign me up. Whether you love or hate Hokit's pro wrestling-style character, feelings had to be put aside for his gimmick after his epic brawl with Curtis Blaydes in April. After three rounds, Hokit won a decision over Blaydes, but can he stand up to the power of "The Black Beast?" Despite his own colorful personality, Lewis isn't for the Hokit shenanigans and possesses the bludgeoning power that could put an unceremonious end to the "Incredible Hok" persona. There's absolutely no chance this will be anyone's chess match, and it could devolve into Rock 'Em Sock 'Em robots at some point. Oh, and whoever wins is guaranteed to have a memorable postfight interview. -- Hale2. Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje, lightweight championshipThe UFC specifically said this event was not constructed as "U.S. vs. everyone," and one quick look at the lineup confirms that. But the main event features an American underdog facing an undefeated Georgian-Spanish champion. This fight could resemble the climax of a Hollywood movie. On top of that, Gaethje -- a two-time interim champion and former BMF champion -- has what is likely his final opportunity at an undisputed championship. The fight figures to be a high-action matchup, as long as it lasts. The only thing holding it back is that Topuria is the heavy favorite to win (-535 according to DraftKings), but don't forget, Gaethje has been a betting underdog in 10 of his 15 UFC appearances. His record in those matchups is 8-2. -- Okamoto1. Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane, interim heavyweight championshipWhat's not to like about this matchup? If you like beautiful violence, you have two of the most technical strikers with concussive power squaring off. The stakes make this matchup even better, as Pereira looks to become the first three-division titleholder in UFC history. However, the outcome is far from predetermined, given Gane's size and surprising performance against reigning champ Tom Aspinall, who is recovering from an eye injury. The only reason this isn't the main event is because it's for an interim title, but the fight has all the makings of an epic encounter. -- Hale
