Gaethje stuns Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 to claim lightweight title

Justin Gaethje dethroned undefeated champion Ilia Topuria to claim the UFC lightweight title at UFC Freedom 250, the first professional sporting event ever held at the White House.

Topuria suffered a technical knockout loss via corner stoppage at 5:00 of the fourth round on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington D.C. on Sunday, as the UFC celebrated America’s 250th anniversary.

Gaethje entered the fight as a more than 6-to-1 underdog, but weathered a second-round storm – including a liver shot that dropped him to the mat – before taking the fight to Topuria in the championship rounds. By the end of round four, Topuria was bloodied and swelling around both eyes, and his corner pulled him out with Gaethje ahead 39-37 on all three judges’ scorecards.

At 37 years and 212 days old, Gaethje became the oldest fighter ever to win a title at 155 pounds or below. Topuria, who had entered the fight undefeated at 17-0, suffered the first loss of his professional career.

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“I told myself I was going to lose,” Gaethje said after the fight. “I told myself I was going to get embarrassed so I could go to my most primal place and dig deep. And I had to. That guy had me in trouble. He had me rocked, smoked my liver, and I stuck in it.”

In the co-main event, Alex Pereira’s bid to become the first three-division UFC champion ended in the second round. Ciryl Gane recaptured the interim heavyweight strap by stopping the Brazilian at 1:27 with a devastating jab that floored him before the referee waved it off.

Sean O’Malley knocked out Aiemann Zahabi at 4:02 of round two, Mauricio Ruffy stopped Michael Chandler via TKO at 4:29 of round one, Bo Nickal dominated Kyle Daukaus via TKO at 4:34 of round one, Josh Hokit stopped Derrick Lewis via TKO at 4:09 of round two, and Diego Lopes opened the card with a second-round TKO of Steve Garcia.

The event was announced last August after UFC president Dana White met with President Donald Trump at the White House, and is part of the United States’ 250th birthday celebrations. Over 4,000 fans watched from the South Lawn, with an estimated 80,000 more gathered on The Ellipse.