Colby Covington voiced frustration after being excluded from the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House, despite his efforts to secure a spot. The former interim welterweight champion criticized the card as disorganized and lacking star power. The event, set for June 14 in Washington, D.C., features a lightweight title unification bout as its main event.
The UFC announced its fight card for UFC Freedom 250, an event on the South Lawn of the White House celebrating America's 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump's birthday, this past weekend during UFC 236. Scheduled for June 14, 2026, in Washington, D.C., the card has drawn mixed reactions, particularly from Colby Covington, a vocal supporter of Trump and self-proclaimed pioneer in bringing the president into the UFC spotlight since 2018.
Covington, who campaigned heavily for inclusion, told MMA Junkie he was 'bummed' about the omission. 'I really wanted the fight,' he said. 'I was campaigning with the UFC. I thought they were holding me out for that fight specifically, but they couldn’t find anybody to fight me at that event.' He offered to fight at welterweight or middleweight on short notice but was instead booked against the winner of Mike Malott vs. Gilbert Burns at UFC Winnipeg on April 18. 'I accepted,' Covington added. 'OK, I’ll wait until the end of the year to fight if that’s what you guys want.'
The card is headlined by a lightweight title unification between champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje, with Alex Pereira facing Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title in the co-main. Other bouts include Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi at bantamweight, Maurício Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler at lightweight, Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus at middleweight, and Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia at featherweight.
Covington slammed the lineup as 'piss-poor at best' and 'terrible,' noting fans' dissatisfaction. 'They promised six or seven title fights. Now they have one title fight and an interim title fight they put together last minute,' he said. 'There wasn’t any big, high-ranking American fighters.' A potential matchup with Bo Nickal fell through, with Covington denying it was ever offered—'Not true, Hunter and UFC never entertained or offered that fight'—while Nickal claimed to Ariel Helwani that Covington declined to avoid a loss.
In the interim, Covington will compete in a wrestling match against Dillon Danis at Real American Freestyle 07 on March 28 in Tampa, Florida. Analysts question if the event's spectacle will outweigh its perceived lack of depth, but the UFC's symbolic choice of venue promises global attention.
