WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira weighed in at 251 pounds for his heavyweight debut on Sunday at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.
Pereira (13-3) is attempting to make history by becoming the first fighter to win belts in three different weight classes. The Brazilian faces Ciryl Gane (13-2), who weighed in at 248 pounds, for the interim championship in the co-main event. The winner is expected to eventually face Tom Aspinall for the undisputed title.
Pereira's weight is notable considering his previous reigns as a two-division champion at lower weight classes. He weighed 185 pounds when he captured the middleweight title in November 2022 with a fifth-round TKO of Israel Adesanya at UFC 281. A year later, Pereira moved up to 205 pounds and captured the light heavyweight belt with a second-round TKO of Jiří Procházka at UFC 303.
UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria (17-0) and interim champion Justin Gaethje (27-5) each weighed 155 pounds for their title unification bout.
In a unique situation, former featherweight title contender Diego Lopes weighed-in twice on Saturday -- at 146 and 154 pounds. Lopes is scheduled to face Steve Garcia in a 145-pound featherweight bout to open UFC Freedom 250. After about an hour rehydrating, Lopes weighed in at 154 pounds, putting on nine pounds to toe the lightweight limit after being designated as the emergency backup for the Topuria-Gaethje showdown. The UFC had originally planned to make Arman Tsarukyan a backup to the main event, but Tsarukyan was unavailable due to a freestyle wrestling match on Saturday in St. Louis.
All 14 athletes set to compete on the historic event successfully made weighin.
According to UFC CEO Dana White, President Donald Trump came up with the initial idea of hosting a UFC event on the South Lawn. The event is taking place outside and exact bout times are subject to change due to weather.
White announced Friday that the historic event will feature the largest fight night bonuses ever, with $400,000 bonuses going to each participant in the best fight of the night, and two $425,000 bonuses being rewarded to the top individual performances of the night. Previously, the largest bonuses awarded were $300,000 at UFC 300 in April 2024.
The high-profile card has been greeted with some skepticism, including a recent attempt by activists to halt UFC Freedom 250 over claims the event on White House grounds was unlawful. A federal judge denied the emergency injunction application on Friday, allowing the event to proceed.
The seven-fight card will air on Paramount+.