The card’s top two bouts will feature the debut of the new Freedom 250 belt.
After months of build-up, UFC Freedom 250 finally takes place this Sunday on the South Lawn of the White House.
In the main event, Ilia Topuria aims to unify his lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje. A win would add another big name to Topuria’s growing list of accomplishments in MMA.
The co-main event features another title bout, with Alex Pereira looking to make history when he faces Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight belt.
Dana White shares his thoughts on the UFC Freedom 250 belt
Recently, Donald Trump invited the main event fighters to the Oval Office in a unique bit of promotion ahead of UFC Freedom 250.
During that visit, Topuria asked why Trump had chosen Gaethje, a friend of his, to face such a challenging opponent while representing America at such a high-profile event.
Following that exchange, Trump revealed a special belt that will be contested by Topuria, Gaethje, Pereira and Gane. The belt’s design is inspired by the American flag and features patriotic elements with silver and gold finishes. It also incorporates red, blue and white colors to match the theme of the night.
The back of the belt includes what appears to be a plaque, though it’s not clear what is engraved on it. This isn’t the first time an event-specific belt has been created for a UFC card.
During UFC 306 at The Sphere in Las Vegas, there was also a custom Noche UFC belt made for Alexa Grasso’s fight against Valentina Shevchenko. Had Grasso won that fight she would have claimed one more piece of unique gold for her collection.
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