Ilia Topuria’s first title defence came to a halt at the White House on Saturday night after four punishing rounds against Justin Gaethje, who took the victory when Topuria didn’t come out for the fifth.
Severe weather nearly put a stop to what was meant to be a historic night in UFC history. But despite the delay, fans were treated to an action-packed event. In the main event, former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria stepped into the octagon after almost a year away from competition, looking to unify the lightweight division.
Topuria’s return came after a year-long absence due to issues outside of fighting. The buildup had been heated, and when it came time for round five, he couldn’t answer the bell, handing a shocking win to his underdog opponent.
Justin Gaethje hands Ilia Topuria his first loss in a UFC title fight at White House
In the lead-up to UFC Freedom 250, Justin Gaethje departed from his usual reserved approach, engaging in pointed exchanges with Ilia Topuria. The conversation even touched on the Spaniard’s divorce and both fighters’ families, which added another layer of intensity to an already significant fight.
The build-up quickly turned heated, and when the fighters walked out onto the White House lawn, most of the crowd noise was behind Gaethje. Across at The Ellipse next door, where over 100,000 fans were gathered to watch on screens, it was a similar story.
Topuria arrived in Washington after celebrating his win with a high-profile party just a day earlier. Both Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury were seen in attendance as well.
The opening round was competitive enough before Gaethje left a mark on Topuria’s eye. But by round two Topuria had made good use of his early bodywork to drop him.
Gaethje nearly ended things in the third after landing a big shot that sent Topuria down. The American looked exhausted by then, though, unable to finish despite having what seemed like an opening.
Between rounds three and four, there appeared to be some confusion around whether or not referee Marc Goddard had called an official stoppage due to swelling around Topuria’s right eye. That never happened, though, and after being cleared by medical staff, he continued through another tough round that went back and forth between them both.
The ringside corner eventually waved off their own fighter before we got into any official fifth-round action.
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