WASHINGTON, D.C. — The discussion around Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 has focused so much on what’s happening outside the octagon — the politics, the weather, the spectacle of it all — that it’s easy to overlook the meaningful fights set to occur inside of it.

So, now that the night’s finally upon us, here’s a look at what’s at stake in each of the seven matchups on the White House’s south lawn. Action on Sportsnet begins at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

Justin Gaethje vs. Ilia Topuria

Order. UFC’s lightweight division has been out of sorts since Islam Makhachev moved up to welterweight, vacating the 155-pound title he held for nearly three years and defended a division-record four times. That opened a path for Topuria to win it last June in what turned out to be the last time it was contested in undisputed fashion. 

While Topuria was sidelined tending to a bitter legal dispute with his ex-wife, UFC staged an interim title fight which Gaethje won over Paddy Pimblett in January.

But over the 12 months it’s taken to put the undisputed belt back on the line, deserving lightweight contenders — namely, Arman Tsarukyan and Benoit Saint Denis — have been forced to choose between either sitting out or taking make-busy fights. In what’s typically one of the promotion’s most competitive divisions, action at the top has ground to a halt.

This Sunday will ideally end that. Either Gaethje scratches-and-claws his late-career renaissance a little further or Topuria reannounces himself as one of the sport’s most dangerous knockout artists. Tsarukyan ought to be next. And the sooner, the better in a division that could use a push forward.

Ciryl Gane vs. Alex Pereira

History. Never before has a fighter won UFC titles in three weight classes and Pereira’s pursuit of that goal is the biggest plot point you’ll find anywhere on this card. Aside from Topuria and Makhachev, it’s hard to envision anyone else on the roster who could even entertain such a feat. Should he do it, Pereira will cement himself as a........

© Sportsnet