Pereira 251 pounds for UFC Freedom 250 at WH

Brett OkamotoJun 13, 2026, 12:55 PM ET

Close

Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.

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.

All 14 athletes set to compete on the historic event successfully made weight.

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+.