The UFC is heating up its Freedom 250 event with new Octagon Girl outfits for the mixed martial arts extravaganza on the White House lawn—and Maxim has the exclusive first look.
UFC Octagon Girls Red Dela Cruz and Chrissy Blair are sharing a sneak peek at the red, white and blue costumes created for the historic fight card taking place at a custom-built arena on the South Lawn of the White House. The $60 million spectacle will be streamed live on Paramount+ and is headlined by an Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje lightweight title fight, plus Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane, Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi, Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis, and three more bouts.
“The inspiration was born from the intersection of sport, spectacle, and celebration,” costume designer Marina Toybina told Maxim of the Octagon outfits. “Working closely with UFC, we wanted to create looks that honored both the energy of the brand and the significance of the 250th anniversary celebration. The goal was to blend strength, athleticism, glamour, and American heritage into a wardrobe language that felt sophisticated, powerful, and unmistakably iconic.”
UFC Octagon models will wear several different Freedom 250 looks for the seven-fight June 14 fight card and the Ceremonial Weigh-Ins on June 13 at The Ellipse, the 52-acre public park near the White House. The Washington D.C. fight night—an audacious idea hatched by UFC boss Dana White and his longtime friend, President Donald Trump—is timed to coincide with both Flag Day and Trump’s 80th birthday. The “Freedom 250” branding refers to the 250th anniversary of American independence, when the Declaration of Independence was officially adopted in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776.
Toybina said that her Octagon Girl outfits “merge athletic strength with couture craftsmanship,” adding, “From streamlined silhouettes to dramatic statement pieces, each look played a role in an evolving red, white, and blue narrative. Rich textiles, custom embroidery, crystal embellishment, and patriotic motifs brought texture, movement, and a fresh interpretation of American glamour.”
As eye-catching as the outfits may be, the fights are the real draw. A title unification bout between UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje is set to headline the stacked Freedom 250 card. The undefeated Topuria (17-0) is a two-division champ and one of the UFC’s biggest stars. A Spanish knockout artist who won the UFC featherweight title after finishes of future Hall of Famers Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, Topuria, 29, claimed the lightweight belt with a first-round demolition of former champion Charles Oliviera in 2025.
Gaethje (27-5), is considered to be one of the most entertaining fighters in UFC history, earning the nickname “The Highlight” for his relentlessly aggressive style. The Arizona-born brawler has won the interim lightweight title twice: first against Tony Ferguson in 2020, and most recently with a decision victory over Paddy Pimblett in January. But Gaethje, 37, is so far winless in undisputed lightweight title clashes, losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020 and Oliveira in 2022. Given that track record, the gritty fan favorite is a heavy betting underdog heading into the biggest fight of his career.
Freedom 250 also features former two-division champion Alex Pereira moving up to heavyweight to face France’s Ciryl Gane in an intriguing battle for the UFC interim heavyweight belt. Pereira has already won titles at middleweight and light heavyweight, and if he defeats Gane, the fearsome Brazilian star will have serious bragging rights as the UFC’s first-ever three-division champion.
The winner of Pereira vs. Gane was expected to face the current undisputed heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall, who is still recovering from a calamitous accidental double eye poke injury suffered in the first round of his fight with Gane in October 2025, which was ruled a no contest. But recent comments from Aspinall’s manager, British boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, suggest that Aspinall may hold out for a higher payday than what’s currently specified in his UFC contract, which could delay that pivotal heavyweight match-up.
UFC Freedom 250—which kicks off at 8 p.m. EST this Sunday on Paramount+—will be prefaced by a full weekend of pre-fight activations in Washington D.C., including a UFC pop-up shop, merch drops, and a special performance by the Zac Brown Band. In the meantime, check out more first looks at the UFC Freedom 250 Octagon Girl outfits below.
