Northeast Philly’s Kyle Daukaus to face former PSU wrestling champ Bo Nickal at UFC White House event

Philly is coming to the South Lawn.

UFC’s upcoming live outdoor event at the White House, dubbed UFC Freedom 250, will feature Philly native Kyle Daukaus facing off against former Penn State wrestler Bo Nickal.

The event, which will be headlined by a lightweight title bout between undisputed champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje, will take place on June 14, which also happens to be President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. Daukaus (17-4) and Nickal (8-1) will meet in a middleweight bout as the second fight of the night.

Nickal, a three-time NCAA champion, was a standout wrestler at Penn State. After earning a contract through Dana White’s Contender Series, Nickal made his UFC debut in 2023 with a submission win over Jamie Pickett. Since then, he has picked up four more wins — and one loss to Reinier de Redder.

Daukaus graduated from Father Judge High School and is the younger brother of former Philly police officer and UFC heavyweight contender Chris Daukaus. Kyle made his UFC debut as a replacement for Ian Heinisch in 2020, losing to Brendan Allen by unanimous decision. During Daukaus’ first run with the promotion, he recorded a 2-4 record before competing in the Cage Fury Fighting Championship.

The Philly native made his return to UFC in August 2025 with a win over Michel Pereira. Nearly three months later, he picked up his second win, over Gerald Meerschaert.

The fight between Daukaus, 33, and Nickal, 30, will be one of six on the card. In addition to Topuria vs. Gaethje, there will be another title bout: light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will look to capture a second division title with a win over Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title.

The card will also feature a bantamweight bout between Sean O’Malley and Aiemann Zahabi, a lightweight fight between Mauricio Ruffy and Michael Chandler, and a featherweight bout between Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia.