Jay Williams brands UFC Freedom 250 ‘better event’ than NBA Finals

After praising the New York Knicks as “America’s Team,” ESPN’s Jay Williams basically dubbed UFC Freedom 250 America’s sporting event.

Despite threats of severe heat and looming thunderstorms, UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, featuring seven fights, has widely been considered a successful event. But Monday morning on First Take, Jay Williams took it a step further by claiming it was better than the NBA Finals.

“I was there, 4,000 seat arena. I gotta be honest …better event than the NBA Finals” – Jay Williams on UFC 250 at the White House pic.twitter.com/HIn7Dgb8ag

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 15, 2026

“I was there, 4,000-seat arena. I gotta be honest, coming off the NBA Finals where I was at multiple NBA Finals (games), better event than the NBA Finals,” Williams told Stephen A. Smith. “It was a better event than the NBA Finals. With the White House literally being right there, incredible.”

UFC Freedom 250 received backlash leading up to the event, with critics considering it less about sports and more about propaganda. Fighter Josh Hokit did little to dispel that narrative when he grabbed the microphone during his post-match interview with Joe Rogan and made Michelle Obama the target of an offensive remark. But the historic event has still been praised for being a successful production, with Williams believing it outshone the NBA Finals.

It was a surprising comparison on the heels of ESPN’s coverage of the NBA Finals garnering some of the league’s best ratings since 1998 as the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games. But the events aren’t too comparable. UFC Freedom 250 was a uniquely historic one-night-only event on the South Lawn of the White House that Dana White has already confirmed will not be happening again. The NBA Finals are an annual event held in a more ordinary setting that grows more intense as the series progresses.

Stephen A. Smith was not in attendance at UFC Freedom 250, but similarly called it a “great event.” The seven-bout card lived up to the hype with every fight ending in a knockout. But Smith and Williams spent little time addressing the actual matches during the quick hit on First Take, praising the event for its spectacular atmosphere more than its fight quality.