As soon as UFC CEO Dana White left the White House grounds after UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday night, he was being asked: “What’s next?” Would there be more outdoor, spectacle events like this in the future? Quickly, his answer was “we’ll never do this again.” The one-of-one show was a big logistical puzzle that took a lot of time, money and planning to solve. The UFC pulled it off, but for the fighters who saw their hands raised on Sunday — and one who took the first loss of his MMA career — the puzzle of where their careers go next is still to be solved.
Justin Gaethje is a first-time lightweight division champion at 37 years old after forcing formerly undefeated titleholder Ilia Topuria to retire on his stool after four rounds of nonstop action. Was that enough of a storybook ending to convince Gaethje to go out on top? Will Ciryl Gane, who quieted the doubters and knocked out a fighter looking for an elusive third division title, get the rematch with Tom Aspinall to unify the heavyweight titles? Could long-wanted matchups such as Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett, Sean O’Malley vs. Umar Nurmagomedov and Diego Lopes vs. Yair Rodriguez finally be on the horizon?
Let’s take a look at the options.
Justin Gaethje, lightweight champion
Who should be next: Retirement
Listen, as much as I love watching Justin Gaethje fight, this is the best time for him to call it a career. He has literally done everything that could possibly be done. He’s fought just about everyone imaginable and put on some of the most exhilarating fights in UFC history. Sure, he could fight No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan next, but why? It’s not that I don’t think he can win, but there will always be another opponent waiting in the wings. There is truly not a better way to go out than to force Topuria’s corner to stop the fight on the grandest stage he’ll ever fight on. Retiring as a champion is something nobody would complain about.
Wild card: Arman Tsarukyan
If Gaethje decides to continue fighting, it’s only right for Tsarukyan to get the first crack at the title. He’s been waiting a really long time for the opportunity, and no matter what Dana White may think about him, Tsarukyan deserves it. There’s only so much rag-dolling of opponents he can do at Real American Freestyle wrestling to keep busy. But this is only if Gaethje wants to keep fighting. I’d argue against it, but if he really wants to, it has to be against Tsarukyan. — Andreas Hale
Ilia Topuria, lightweight
Ilia Topuria, left, and Justin Gaethje, right, put on perhaps the fight of the year in the finale at the White House on Sunday. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCWho should be next: Paddy Pimblett
As far as tough first losses go, do they get any tougher than Topuria’s? Not that it was really in question, but Topuria showed his willingness to respond to adversity. It was a difficult, difficult bout, and he never looked for a way out. Who knows how much time he’ll require to recover, and long breaks make it hard to predict the next move. The first name that comes to mind, though, is Pimblett. Had Pimblett defeated Justin Gaethje in January, it might have been Pimblett on the White House lawn on Sunday. He has a big fight against Benoît Saint Denis in July. We’ll see what happens with that, but for a while, Pimblett was one of the biggest fights the UFC could make for Topuria. These two even squared off in the Octagon at an event last year. It’s a matchup that could always be revisited.
Wild card: Conor McGregor
Topuria holds a genuine disdain for McGregor. Topuria doesn’t like McGregor’s out-of-the-cage actions or what he’s stood for. McGregor has taken shots at Topuria online. There would be a lot of bad blood in this one, and they are two of the biggest names in the sport currently. Some might say it’s ridiculous, since Topuria is still considered one of the best in the world (even with this loss), while McGregor has been inactive. But if McGregor looks competitive against Max Holloway next month, why can’t it happen? The UFC will be looking to make the most of any McGregor appearance, and Topuria would do that. — Brett Okamoto
Ciryl Gane, heavyweight
Who should be next: Tom Aspinall
Aspinall needs to get cleared and the UFC needs to align with Aspinall and make this happen. This division has been in shambles for long enough. The Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight (that never should have happened for a title), the interim situation with Aspinall, the long wait for a megafight that never happened because Jones retired, the eye-poke that stopped Aspinall vs. Gane last October — how can anything move forward except Gane vs. Aspinall? The answer is the UFC will find a way to move forward regardless of anything that happens because they are bigger than any one fighter or one fight, but at this point, it’s important, for the legitimacy of the division, to get a fight between Gane and Aspinall on the books.
Editor’s Picks
UFC White House was preposterous, surreal and very American
Dan Wetzel
UFC White House fight grades: How good was Justin Gaethje’s title win?
Andreas Hale
UFC at the White House beats the odds and the rain to put on a big show
ESPN Staff
2 Related
Wild card: Sergei Pavlovich
See, this is why the UFC needs to get on the same page with Aspinall. There’s nothing wrong with a Gane vs. Pavlovich fight. They’ve never fought before and it’s a fun matchup. But it doesn’t feel like a legitimate, undisputed title fight. Aspinall was elevated to undisputed champion between fights. Now it’s going to happen to Gane as well, if things don’t get set right? I do believe all of this ends with Aspinall getting medically cleared and taking the fight. — Okamoto
Sean O’Malley, men’s bantamweight
Who should be next: Umar Nurmagomedov
I’m not sure what’s going on with the matchmaking of Nurmagomedov. The 30-year-old is 20-1, with one very close loss to Merab Dvalishvili in January 2025, when Dvalishvili was on an absolute tear. Nurmagomedov already has rebounded with two wins since and is ranked No. 2 in the division — yet, he has been booked against No. 8-ranked David Martinez for a July 25 Fight Night. The O’Malley matchup is right there. O’Malley has called for it before. Squaring off with Nurmagomedov, with Khabib in the corner, would make for a massive moment. O’Malley would be facing a lot of doubters, a role he’s actually thrived in — particularly against Petr Yan, whose belt O’Malley took in 2022. The UFC needs to do the trilogy between Yan and Dvalishvili later this year, and it should also finally book this fight between O’Malley and Nurmagomedov that has made plenty of sense for a while now.
Wild card: Cory Sandhagen
This fight has felt inevitable for a long time, and Sandhagen has spent a lot of time campaigning for it. It came as a surprise to some that it wasn’t Sandhagen squaring off with O’Malley on the White House lawn. Sandhagen has a date booked already with Mario Bautista on July 11. If he wins, you can bet the house he will make an impassioned case to fight O’Malley next. I like the Nurmagomedov matchup just a hair better, provided Nurmagomedov takes care of business against Martinez, but O’Malley-Sandhagen is right behind it. — Okamoto
Josh Hokit, heavyweight
Who should be next: Sergei Pavlovich
It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect. First off, Pavlovich is known as one of the hardest hitters in the sport, even in spite of a three-year cold streak in which he has failed to get a knockout. His highlight reel is robust, and Hokit has built himself into a villain. So the potential for Hokit to get stunned would be strong in a matchup like this. I also just really like this fight from a competitive standpoint. Hokit’s cringe charade aside, he’s a good fighter. Pavlovich carries the ability to put Hokit’s lights out and, currently on a three-win streak, Pavlovich has momentum again after a two-fight skid to begin 2023.
Wild card: Alexander Volkov
I’m going with this one because rankings-wise, it makes sense. Promotionally, it kind of doesn’t. Volkov’s consistency and longevity are incredible. That reported, his fights aren’t always the most exciting, and he’s not a prefight talker. This matchup feels like a long shot for those reasons, but I don’t think Hokit is quite at the level of one of the biggest fights in the division (Tom Aspinall, Ciryl Gane and Alex Pereira). I would give him one more fight first. That one should be Pavlovich, but Volkov would still keep him rolling in the direction of those big three. — Okamoto
Mauricio Ruffy, lightweight
Who should be next: Winner of Max Holloway vs. Conor McGregor at UFC 329 on July 11
Benoit Saint Denis was offered to fight Michael Chandler at the White House but declined because he wanted a higher-ranked opponent. He got a great fight against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 329, but one has to wonder if he’s kicking himself for not taking the first option after the statement Ruffy made Sunday night. After this performance, I am excited at the thought of Ruffy going back-and-forth on the feet with Holloway or McGregor. If McGregor pulls off a victory in his return in July and wants to compete again, Ruffy is the kind of fight that would be fireworks. And Ruffy’s knockout of Chandler will be enough to make a lot of people want to see it.
Wild card: Paddy Pimblett
If Pimblett defeats Saint Denis at UFC 329, the UFC will have to take a hard look at this matchup. We’ll need to see where all the dust settles with the lightweight title situation. Arman Tsarukyan is waiting for his well-deserved shot. Charles Oliveira is back in the mix after defeating Holloway for the BMF title in March. The Holloway-McGregor fight figures to have a massive impact on the weight class, particularly if McGregor shows interest in fighting again relatively soon. A lot to unpack, but if Pimblett defeats Saint Denis, Pimblett vs. Ruffy makes sense from every angle. — Okamoto
Bo Nickal, middleweight
Bo Nickal made quick work of Kyle Daukaus by first-round knockout. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCWho should be next: Roman Dolidze
Nickal received a lot of criticism for his loss to Reinier de Ridder in 2025, but apparently, it’s done exactly what a loss is supposed to: made him better. If we’re being honest, it was never a surprise Nickal ran into a hurdle. His rise was so meteoric, his jumps in competition so significant, that he was bound to face turmoil. He looks more comfortable now, more fluid. He’s figuring out the game. I am completely fine with moving him ahead fairly aggressively now. Dolidze, 37, is on a two-fight skid and looking to defend his top-15 ranking. He’s a veteran and a test, despite probably being on the back end of his career.
Wild card: Winner of Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Jared Cannonier on July 18
Duncan is responsible for Dolidze’s last loss and would be a great matchup with Nickal. If Duncan beats Cannonier, though, he’s probably looking at a top-10 ranking and will have his eyes focused upward. Middleweight is starting to look healthy, with a lot of new talent climbing the rankings. Duncan is trying to get it done against the old guard in Cannonier. I think it makes sense to have Nickal look to do the same against Dolidze. But if the UFC wants to pair Nickal and Duncan, I’m here for it. — Okamoto
Diego Lopes, featherweight
Who should be next: Yair Rodriguez
Always. We’ve been saying for over a year that this fight needs to happen. Rodriguez has been out of action this year due to hand surgery, but this matchup at 145 pounds has tantalized fans because of its stylistic possibilities and because of a back-and-forth between the two fighters at a news conference last spring. Lopes is ranked the No. 2 featherweight by the UFC; Rodriguez is No. 5. Until it happens, this matchup will always be the first thought for fans when discussing what’s next for these two. It’s always each other. It would be great to see it finally come together.
Wild card: Lightweight
A move up to lightweight doesn’t seem to be the likeliest route, with Lopes picking up a significant win against Steve Garcia (and an already crowded field at 155 pounds). If there is a need at lightweight because an injury affects a big matchup or because the UFC is looking to add some excitement to a card, Lopes will answer that call. He will fight anyone at any time. Lopes, who acted as the alternate for the lightweight title fight at UFC Freedom 250, will test the waters at 155 at some point, and it could happen next. — Okamoto
