The UFC’s Freedom 250 card at the White House is only two days away! For the first time, the UFC Octagon has made its way onto the South Lawn for a highly anticipated one-of-a-kind event. In the Main Event of this card, current UFC Lightweight Champion Ilia Topuria takes on Interim Champion Justin Gaethje to unify the titles at 155 pounds. UFC Freedom 250 begins on Sunday, June 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET on Paramount+.
Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC Captain $500K UFC 250 Special [$100K to 1st]
Check out my favorite fighters to add to your daily fantasy lineup for Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 event.
Studs
Ilia Topuria ($9,600)
Topuria has been away for nearly a year but is facing Justin Gaethje in an Undisputed Championship contest. Since 2024, Topuria is 3-0 with three knockouts in title fights against Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira. Since entering the UFC in October 2020, Topuria has put on nearly a perfect performance in each outing. Gaethje is on a two-fight winning streak and last beat Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 to win the Interim title. This is Gaethje’s third shot at Undisputed gold and is 0-2 in the previous two shots.
Gaethje has the advantage in height (5’11” vs. 5’7″) and standing reach (70″ vs. 69″). Also, the two-time Interim Champion averages more significant strikes per minute (6.48 vs. 4.81) while being more efficient (58% vs. 48%) on the feet. But the reason Topuria’s stats don’t stack up to Gaethje’s is that his fights don’t last long.
In the UFC, Topuria is averaging 102.1 fantasy points per contest, which is an incredible mark. It isn’t just that Topuria is undefeated, but he has never been hurt, as opponents haven’t found success against him. Topuria and Gaethje are both excellent strikers, but they are opposites stylistically. Gaethje is too aggressive at times and reckless, while Topuria is methodical in his movements and likes to find the perfect spots to pick apart his opponent. Gaethje is capable of pulling off the upset, but Topuria seems to be operating at a level that is untouchable right now.
Josh Hokit ($9,000)
In the last 10 months, Josh Hokit has won four fights, with three UFC wins including a victory on Dana White’s Contender Series. He has quickly become a contender in the UFC’s Heavyweight division. Hokit is coming off the most significant victory of his career when he beat Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327.
Hokit proved against Blaydes, a perennial contender, that he can compete with the best Heavyweights in the world less than two years into his MMA career. Now Hokit will take on another veteran, Derrick Lewis. This is his 43rd MMA fight, while it is only Hokit’s 10th. Lewis is coming off a knockout loss to Waldo Cortes Acosta in January at UFC 324.
Although his sample size in the UFC is small, Hokit is landing 9.25 significant strikes per minute at a 62 percent rate, which is absurd. In comparison, Lewis averages 2.46 significant strikes while having a striking accuracy of 49 percent. Although he has excelled on his feet recently, Hokit is still an extremely skilled wrestler and could most likely dominate Lewis on the ground if he brings the fight there.
Including his win on DWCS, Hokit is averaging 121.7 fantasy points, which is the most out of any fighter on this card. Hokit needs to be aware of Lewis’ tremendous knockout power, but it would be surprising if the Heavyweight rising star couldn’t find success against a struggling Lewis.
Value Play
Alex Pereira ($7,400)
Even though Alex Pereira is making his debut in a third different weight division, it is surprising to see him at $7,400. Ciryl Gane is a tough challenge for Pereira, but it is a good matchup for the former two-division champion as he has found plenty of success against fellow strikers.
Pereira knocked out Magomed Ankalaev to become a two-time Light Heavyweight Champion at UFC 320 in October 2025. Then he vacated the title to move up to the Heavyweight division and chase a new goal. Gane last fought Tom Aspinall at UFC 321 in October 2025, but that fight ended in a no-contest after an eye poke by Gane.
Both fighters in this contest are 6’4″, while Gane has a two-inch reach advantage (81″ vs. 79″). This has the potential to be a tremendous striking matchup. On paper, it is close, as Gane lands 0.13 more significant strikes per minute, and Pereira is more accurate (62% vs. 61%). Pereira has scored at least 101 fantasy points in four of his previous five fights. Although Pereira hasn’t fought at Heavyweight until this moment, his power should translate to his new weight class. Gane has been passive in his past title fights, and he could struggle again against Pereira, who is often aggressive and throws a high volume of punches.
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