The D.C. Defenders (5-5) and the Louisville Kings (6-4) clashed in the 2026 UFL United Bowl Championship game on Saturday afternoon from Audi Field in Washington, D.C. These two teams met twice in the regular season, with Louisville winning both games. Louisville was looking to win its first championship in its first season in the UFL, while D.C. was looking to win its second straight title.
In the first quarter, D.C. had the ball on the 45-yard line. Running back Deon Jackson had three carries for 25 yards, including a 20-yard run to the 30-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Matt McCrane made a 48-yard field goal to put the Defenders up 3-0 with 7:15 left.
Late in the first quarter, D.C. had the ball on the 10-yard line. Quarterback Jason Bean handed the ball off to Xazavian Valladay, who had a ton of room thanks to the offensive line clearing a path for him. Valladay appeared on his way to scoring a touchdown until Louisville defensive back Keaton Ellis punched the ball out of his arm. The ball rolled into the endzone, where it was recovered by Cameron Dantzler in the endzone for a touchback.
Louisville was unable to take advantage of the turnover. The Defenders had the ball on the 29-yard line. They moved the ball to the 46-yard line as the first quarter ended, leading 3-0.
In the second quarter, Louisville had the ball on the 46-yard line. Five plays later, quarterback Chandler Rogers’s pass was intercepted by Kai Gray at the seven-yard line. Two plays into D.C.’s drive, quarterback Jason Bean completed a pass to Ty Scott. Louisville defensive back Corey Mayfield Jr. hit Scott to cause a fumble. Eric Garror recovered and scored a touchdown for the Kings. The Kings led the Defenders 7-3 with 11:35 left.
D.C. had the ball on the 26-yard line. Running back Deon Jackson had two carries for 20 yards, followed by Xazavian Valladay running for three yards to the 49-yard line. On the next play, Louisville brought pressure after Bean handed the ball off to Valladay. There was an opening on the outside, and Valladay took off for a 51-yard touchdown. The Defenders took a 10-7 lead to conclude a four-play drive for 74 yards.
Late in the second quarter, D.C. kicker Matt McCrane made a 43-yard field goal to extend D.C.’s lead to 13-7. Louisville had the ball on the 26-yard line. Two plays later, Louisville quarterback Chandler Rogers’s pass was intercepted by Kai Gray, who returned it before getting pushed out of bounds at the 13-yard line. D.C. moved the ball to the 10-yard line, where kicker Matt McCrane made a 28-yard field goal. The Defenders led the Kings 16-7 at halftime.
Louisville got the ball to start the third quarter. Running back James Robinson had two carries for 25 yards to the 37-yard line. The Kings moved the ball to the 39-yard line before kicker Tanner Brown made a 57-yard field goal. The Kings trailed the Defenders 16-10.
D.C. took a major blow in their next drive when quarterback Jason Bean was sacked by Keaton Ellis. Bean was holding his left shoulder and had to be helped to the sidelines. E.J. Perry was the new quarterback for D.C., who signed with the team two weeks ago after his release from the Montreal Alouettes.
Louisville had the ball on the 21-yard line. On the second play, quarterback Chandler Rogers threw a 40-yard pass to Tarik Black to the 38-yard line. They moved the ball to the 20-yard line, where kicker Tanner Brown made a 38-yard field goal. The Kings trailed the Defenders 16-13 with 6:09 left.
Late in the third quarter, Louisville had the ball on the 18-yard line. They moved the ball to the 44-yard line to end the third quarter, trailing 16-13.
In the fourth quarter, Louisville’s offensive line opened up a hole for Ian Wheeler, who took off to score a 44-yard touchdown. The Kings took a 20-16 lead that took seven plays for 84 yards.
Later in the fourth quarter, D.C. quarterback E.J. Perry’s pass was intercepted by Cameron Dantzler. He returned it to the 25-yard line. Louisville quarterback Chandler Rogers threw a nine-yard pass to Isaiah Winstead before James Robinson finished the drive by scoring a 16-yard touchdown. The Kings extended their lead to 27-16.
Midway through the fourth quarter, D.C. kicker Matt McCrane made a 60-yard field goal. In the UFL, field goals made from 60 or more yards are worth four points. The Defenders trailed the Kings 27-20 with 9:11 left in the game.
Late in the game, D.C.’s defense forced a three-and-out. Quarterback E.J. Perry led the offense to the six-yard line. On fourth down, Perry’s pass was incomplete, and Louisville took over. A penalty by D.C.’s defense ended the game. The Kings defeated the Defenders 27-20 to win their first United Bowl championship. Louisville Kings running back Ian Wheeeler was named the UFL United Bowl MVP.
Louisville’s offense had 261 yards (81 passing yards, 180 rushing yards), 10 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized eight times. Quarterback Chandler Rogers completed 9 of 17 passes (52.9%) for 81 yards, two interceptions, and seven carries for 32 yards.
Running back Ian Wheeler had 10 carries for 81 yards and one rushing touchdown, while James Robinson had 16 carries for 69 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver Tarik Black made one catch for 40 yards, while Isaiah Winstead made four catches for 22 yards. The defense made 56 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
D.C.’s offense had 319 yards (69 passing yards, 262 rushing yards), 13 first downs, 0 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times. Quarterback E.J. Perry completed 5 of 12 passes (41.7%) for 50 yards, one interception, and seven carries for 43 yards. Jason Bean completed 3 of 8 passes (37.5%) for 19 yards and seven carries for 35 yards.
Running back Xazavian Valladay had four carries for 111 yards and one rushing touchdown, while Dean Jackson had 11 carries for 56 yards. Wide receiver Carnell Powell made three catches for 40 yards, while Ty Scott made three catches for 19 yards. The defense had 48 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions, and six pass breakups.
