Anticipation, controversy, worries about the weather: ahead of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House on Sunday, there were plenty of storylines.
None of those would truly matter come Fight Night save the aforementioned weather, as the forecast calling for rain and even possible thunderstorms had the chance to really throw a wrench in the works. But as Dana White exclaimed at Friday’s pre-fight press conference, they were going to be fighting on Sunday regardless of rain or snow.
That meant Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje would unify the promotion’s lightweight title. It meant Alex Pereira would finally make his move to heavyweight, an option that was often talked about in recent years. Ciryl Gane was the only thing standing in the way of “Poatan” doing the unthinkable and winning a title in a third weight class. Sure, it was an interim belt, with Tom Aspinall waiting in the wings (and on the outs with the company).
Sean O’Malley, set to face Aiemann Zahabi, was looking to work his way back to his old belt at bantamweight. The Canadian, however, had made it a habit of late to turn back former champs and challengers.
Of course, there was the card’s place as the first-ever professional sporting event to be held on the White House grounds and all the conflicting opinions that came with it to talk about. To keep on top of those and other storylines, tune in for the UFC Freedom 250 post-fight press conference above following the event.
