Why 'surreal' was the perfect word to describe UFC Freedom 250

The crowd didn't seem to know how to react, either. In the first fight, a featherweight bout between Brazilian Diego Lopes and American Steve Garcia, the crowd started chanting "USA" but then stopped making noise, via The Athletic's Luke Brown. They turned the volume up in subsequent fights. 

The confusion extended into the Octagon. After defeating Garcia in two rounds, Lopes waited for his left arm to be raised to signal victory, resulting in a brief but awkward pause. A photographer then told him to pose for a picture in front of the White House.

Lopes then jumped up to the top of the Octagon's fence and extended his arms, producing a memorable image. That was one of many epic snapshots.

But again, the setting detracted from the fighting. It also didn't help that many of the fights were unremarkable to non-hardcore UFC fans. Six of the seven fights failed to reach three rounds. The only one that did was a four-round bout, in which American Justin Gaethje stunned Georgian Ilia Topuria to become the new lightweight champion of the world.  

Another highlight was when Brazilian lightweight Mauricio Ruffy proposed to his wife after defeating American Michael Chandler by TKO in one round. She said yes.

It also didn't help that the UFC was promoting other future contests on Sunday. Former heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, who retired in January, hinted at a potential collaboration with UFC president and CEO Dana White after the second fight. 

Overall, the UFC produced one of the more bizarre events the sporting world has seen in quite some time. After the peculiar evening, it should consider staying indoors and at a site that has fewer distractions.