Alex Pereira officially tipped the scale at 251 pounds for his heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250, as Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje made 155 pounds on their first attempts for the lightweight title unification bout at Washington, D.C.’s
It started with a president’s idea becoming a real UFC week. By Friday night at the Lincoln Memorial. fighters from across the sport—rookies. established stars. and current and former titleholders—pressed into a single outdoor card ahead of Sunday night in Washington. D.C. Then Saturday morning arrived, scales ready, pressure rising.
Only 14 athletes ended up getting the call for UFC Freedom 250, a seven-bout pay-per-view card hosted by the White House lawn. The headliner atmosphere carried right into the weigh-in: Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje made their title-bout weight at 155 pounds on their first attempt. while Alex Pereira came in at 251 pounds for his interim heavyweight title co-main against Ciryl Gane.
Topuria (155) and Gaethje (155) both had to weigh no more than 155 pounds for the lightweight title unification bout to be made official—and both hit championship weight immediately. Topuria enters as the 155-pound champion. a former 145-pound champion who left the division after back-to-back knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. He became a 155-pound champ last summer when he knocked out Charles Oliveira in half a round.
The timeline around Topuria has been uneasy for the division. Before his first lightweight title defence, Topuria announced late last year he was taking a personal leave of absence. In response, the UFC introduced an interim title, which Gaethje won in January when he defeated Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324.
Gaethje now stands opposite the champion in Washington for a fight that carries a clear edge of urgency. Topuria has vowed to knock Gaethje out in under two minutes, and the weigh-in delivered a version of the matchup that looks tight and ready.
The other title fight—interim heavyweight—had a different kind of meaning. Pereira and Gane had a 265-pound limit, and neither needed to cut any weight Saturday. Pereira tipped the scale at 251 pounds, while Gane was measured at 248.
Pereira’s night is a milestone all on its own: he’s making his heavyweight debut on Sunday night. and if he wins. he would become the first fighter in UFC history to win titles in three different weight classes. The soon-to-be 39-year-old from Brazil followed up a legendary career as a two-weight kickboxing world champion by transitioning to mixed martial arts.
His UFC path has been built on moving up—and making the next division his own. Pereira began his UFC tenure 4.5 years ago as a 185-pounder and won the middleweight belt when he beat Israel Adesanya in 2022. He later moved up to the 205-pound division. where he became a two-time light-heavyweight champ with six knockout wins in an eight-fight stretch. He decided to move up again after an 80-second win over Magomed Ankalaev in October.
On Sunday. Pereira’s opponent is Ciryl Gane. who will enter his fifth UFC heavyweight title fight in his past eight appearances. Gane’s UFC gold record in title fights sits at 1-2 with one no-contest so far when the stakes are heavyweight championship-level. He is coming off a fight against reigning heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall in which Gane poked Aspinall in both eyes. leading to a no-contest and requiring multiple eye surgeries. The interim title at stake on Sunday was introduced because Aspinall’s recovery time remains indefinite.
Gane has been near the top before. Five years ago, he won an interim belt when he defeated Derrick Lewis before eventually losing a unification bout to Francis Ngannou. He also lost a separate title bout to Jon Jones.
On a card shaped by dramatic injury timing and huge ambition. there’s a heavyweight fight waiting in the wings for anyone watching the full card. Derrick Lewis is also on the White House show. added to the card on personal request from the United States President. Lewis faces undefeated Josh Hokit. and Lewis weighed the most of any fighter on the card at 265 pounds. while Hokit came in at 231.
The through-line of the event is its mix of stakes and rare setting: a ceremonial weigh-in at The Ellipse is set for Saturday night. streaming live on Sportsnet+ beginning at approximately 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. UFC Freedom 250 takes place Sunday, June 14, with the seven-fight pay-per-view card available on Sportsnet+ starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
The co-main heavyweight title story doesn’t stand alone on this card. Aiemann Zahabi of Montreal meets former 135-pound champion Sean O’Malley in a pivotal contest where the winner could earn a bantamweight title shot. Zahabi weighed 135,5 pounds and O’Malley also came in at 135.5, putting the matchup squarely on weight.
Zahabi enters as the lone Canadian competing at the event. He also begins the night with momentum in the numbers: he is riding a seven-fight winning streak, and is the occasional Sportsnet analyst.
Opening up another headline moment, two-time featherweight title challenger Diego Lopes returns to a stage he’s already seen from the top. Lopes also competed on the historic UFC 300 and in the Sphere at UFC 306. On Sunday, he faces Steve Garcia in the fan-friendly pairing that opens the card.
Lopes came in at 146 pounds, and Garcia also weighed 146 pounds. That said, Lopes’ preparation includes a contingency: Lopes later also weighed 154 pounds to register as the main event backup fighter should anything prevent Topuria or Gaethje from competing Sunday.
One more spotlight bout gives the card a distinctly American edge. Middleweight standout Bo Nickal, a friend and occasional golfing partner of Donald Trump, takes on fellow American Kyle Daukaus. Both men weighed 186 pounds.
And for the lightweight division’s momentum, Proud American Michael Chandler returns to action and will look to snap a three-fight losing streak when he faces Brazil’s Mauricio Ruffy. Chandler tipped the scale at 156 pounds, with Ruffy coming in at 155.
What comes into focus across Saturday’s official weigh-in results is how tightly the championship structure was preserved: Topuria and Gaethje both hit 155 on their first attempts for unification. while the heavyweight title duo—Pereira and Gane—cleared their 265-pound limit without cuts. and Lopes’ second weigh-in at 154 added an extra layer of certainty for the main event.
Official weigh-in results for UFC Freedom 250:
Ilia Topuria (155) vs. Justin Gaethje (155)
Alex Pereira (251) vs. Ciryl Gane (248)
Sean O’Malley (135.5) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (135)
Derrick Lewis (265) vs. Josh Hokit (231)
Mauricio Ruffy (155) vs. Michael Chandler (156)
Bo Nickal (186) vs. Kyle Daukaus (186)
Diego Lopes (146)* vs. Steve Garcia (146)*.
Lopes later also weighed 154 pounds to register as the main event backup fighter.
UFC Freedom 250 Alex Pereira Ciryl Gane Ilia Topuria Justin Gaethje heavyweight title interim title UFC weigh-in Washington DC