Breaking News! Justin Gaethje defeated a bloodied Topuria to become the UFC champion

On the night of Monday, June 15, the UFC White House: Freedom 250 mixed martial arts tournament took place near the White House in Washington, D.C.

The main event of the show was a 5-round lightweight title fight (up to 70.3 kg) — in which the organization’s champion, Ilia Topuria (17–0) of Georgia, faced off against American Justin Gaethje (27–5) in the Octagon.

Gage relied on playing second fiddle, didn’t rush the action, and kept his opponent at bay with jabs and low kicks. The American occasionally took dangerous shots but managed to retreat to a safe distance.

Topuria coolly pressured his opponent, occasionally breaking through Gage’s defense, but in one exchange, he suffered an eye injury that quickly began to bleed profusely.

The fantastic first round ended with a highly spectacular exchange of blows, in which the Georgian champion proved to be the more successful. Despite this, the American steadfastly withstood his opponent’s strikes.

In the second 5-minute round, Topuria pounded his opponent with heavy body shots and uppercuts, which sent Geidji to the canvas. Justin’s situation was rapidly deteriorating; he tried to survive on the canvas and avoid being locked in a submission hold.

In the third round, Ilya took a heavy blow to the jaw that could have been fatal. However, he managed to withstand the extremely dangerous attack and returned to his feet.

A bloodied Topuria admitted that he couldn’t see out of one eye—the doctor advised stopping the fight, but the referee allowed the Georgian champion to continue.

After the fourth round, the spectacular bout was stopped—the Georgian’s corner refused to continue the fight. Topuria was in dire straits; his face was covered in blood, and on top of the injury to his right eye, he was now having trouble with his left.

Justin Gaethje became the UFC champion in front of U.S. President Donald Trump, who congratulated the 37-year-old veteran on one of the biggest upsets of the year in sports.

Justin Gaethje (USA) – Ilia Topuria (Georgia) – TKO 4

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