UFC White House fight card predictions: Expert picks for pair of title fights at UFC Freedom 250

UFC Freedom 250 takes place Sunday from the South Lawn of the White House. The unique location provides fighters on the card with a chance to stake their claim to a unique piece of sports history.

>In the night's main event, lightweight champion Ilia Topuria will face interim champion Justin Gaethje in a fight with potential to produce explosive results.

>The co-main event on Sunday night is equally compelling to fight fans. Pereira, in just 12 fights over five years, has become one of the most beloved action stars of a generation. After conquering both middleweight and light heavyweight, the Brazilian looks to make history by taking a piece of the heavyweight title, which would make him the first fighter to do so across three divisions. He faces Gane, who has repeatedly come up short in these spots.

>Gane holds a 10-2, 1 NC record in UFC since joining the promotion in 2019. He earned the interim title once before, defeating Derrick Lewis by TKO in 2021. But he failed to unify the title in a decision loss to Francis Ngannou and then was quickly submitted by Jon Jones in 2023 for the vacant title. Gane then returned to the title picture in 2025 and looked strong against Tom Aspinall before delivering a brutal double eye poke that ended the fight in a no contest.

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>Elsewhere on Saturday, fast rising heavyweight sensation Josh Hokit looks to take the next step toward a title shot when he takes on the legendary veteran Derrick Lewis. Hokit announced himself on the scene in just three UFC fights with his last being considered an all-timer against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 in Miami. Now, he must get past the all-time knockout leader if he wants to keep rolling into a potential fight with the winner of Saturday's co-main event.

>With so much happening on Saturday night, let's look closer at the full fight card with the latest odds before we get to our staff predictions and picks for the festivities that you can consider before hitting the sportsbooks.

>Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook (as of June 12)

>With such a massive main event on tap, the crew at CBS Sports went ahead with predictions and picks for the main card from Brian Campbell, Brent Brookhouse, Shakiel Mahjouri, Michael Mormile and Brandon Wise.

>Campbell:  Despite the renaissance run that the 37-year-old Gaethje is currently on in his second reign as interim lightweight champion, he's simply tailor made for everything Topuria does great. The two-division champion enters the fight coming off of an 11-month layoff and a very public divorce that played out in the tabloids. But any worry about all of that affecting his performance in a negative fashion quickly dissipated when Gaethje pressed Topuria's buttons in recent weeks by talking publicly about his personal issues. Topuria will have more than enough motivation to deliver a cold finish by using Gaethje's aggressiveness against him.

>Brookhouse: Gaethje will have a notable size advantage, but that's not entirely unusual for Topuria, who has overcome those disadvantages against men like Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway. Topuria hits hard and has a complete game where he does everything just a little bit better than Gaethje, who will certainly bring his trademark blood and guts approach to the fight. Unfortunately for Gaethje, Topuria's speed will allow him to deliver his power more capably. The damage will add up and eventually lead to the stoppage win for Topuria.

>Mahjouri: Topuria is in his physical prime; the layoff shouldn't matter. Preparation is the champion's best weapon. His team is studious, envisioning a game plan from the opponent's perspective before reverse engineering it. He's not urgent, either. Topuria patiently sets traps and analyzes rhythms before delivering a kill shot. Gaethje's best hope is to catch Topuria cold or drown him late. Both those strategies require a level of risk that he can't afford to take against Topuria. Gaethje has the power to get it done, but not the chin or finesse.

>Campbell: At a muscular 6-foot-5, with the speed and footwork of a middleweight, there are plenty of reasons on paper to believe that Gane could be a handful for Pereira in his first fight at heavyweight after winning titles in two divisions. But few fighters in UFC history have shown the ability to rise to the occasion when the stage is the brightest quite like Pereira. His power is a problem regardless of the opponent, weight class or the fact that Gane has largely been durable throughout his UFC run. And the fact that Gane -- despite his recent comments -- isn't much of a threat to take Pereira down or threaten a submission, this is the type of kickboxing matchup that "Poatan" can win. Expect the lack of a weight cut to also play a key role in just how aggressive Pereira will be early on.

>Brookhouse: Gane is such an odd fighter. He's constantly near the top of the rankings, but so rarely looks like an elite fighter against other top fighters. Gane seemed like he was finally putting in that elite-level performance against Tom Aspinall, but then delivered a double-eye poke that shook up the heavyweight division. Pereira is coming in big for his heavyweight debut, and that probably means he's also carrying up his power. Gane has never been the kind of grappler who could shock a striker and Pereira is the much better striker, which gives the Brazilian a clear advantage even as the fight sits as a near pick-em at the sportsbooks.

>Mahjouri: Gane's unique qualities make him a stiffer heavyweight test than most. Pereira's biggest advantages moving to heavyweight are speed and striking. Against Gane, he faces the most athletic and refined striker in the division. Gane isn't faster or a better striker than Pereira, but he closes the gap enough that his natural size could make the difference. But I want to believe that Pereira can win a historic third title, interim or otherwise. Both men are walking around at approximately the same weight, tempering concerns about Gane wrestling his way to a decision. I don't know which way this'll go, but I want to believe Pereira can achieve something no fighter has before.

>Campbell: The presence of Lewis' power and his reputation as the greatest knockout artist in UFC history means fans shouldn't expect a repeat of Hokit's last fight, when he fought tooth and nail for 15 minutes with Curtis Blaydes in April. But as long as Hokit establishes the threat of his wrestling game, which has long been Lewis' Kryptonite, this should be a relatively easy test for the brash Hokit to pass as he continues on the fast track to stardom and, possibly, an immediate title shot. The 41-year-old Lewis has been stopped five times in the past five years and tends to implode in recent years when he's overwhelmed by pressure. Hokit's hand speed will be a major problem for him.

>Brookhouse: Hokit is a legitimate high-level American heavyweight prospect, which would be a very exciting thing if he weren't constantly doing a poor imitation of a professional wrestling gimmick. Setting the cringe personality aside, Hokit is a dynamic fighter who is built to run through a one-dimensional fighter like Lewis. Lewis' best days are well behind him, but he will always carry one-punch knockout power. I just see no way that Lewis reliably delivers that power against someone more dynamic like Hokit.

>Mahjouri: Lewis' loss to Waldo Cortes Acosta was tremendously concerning. He seemed slower and more uncomfortable taking damage. Those are huge red flags against Hokit, a brawler who will throw hard leather constantly. Lewis is the all-time KO leader, and power is the last thing to go. Hokit got rocked by Blaydes multiple times, and I'm certain Lewis can put him to sleep quickly. Before that happens, Hokit will land first, and I don't like Lewis' ability to take the shots.

>Who wins UFC White House: Topuria vs. Gaethje, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $1,500 on his UFC main-card picks, and find out.