Justin Gaethje pulled off the impossible. And he did it in a way only he could.
Already widely regarded as one of the most exciting fighters in MMA history, the 37-year-old American stunned Ilia Topuria to capture the UFC lightweight title and cap off UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday on the White House South Lawn.
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Despite entering the bout as a massive underdog, Gaethje shocked the world by battering and bloodying Topuria before ultimately forcing the previously unbeaten champ to retire on the stool between the fourth and fifth rounds.
It was a shocking finale to a seven-fight card that featured knockouts in every fight, contested in a makeshift arena on the White House lawn, encircled by U.S. President Donald Trump and various members of the U.S. government, on a show loaded to the gills with pageantry and patriotic flavor.
Unsurprisingly, Gaethje’s victory — and Topuria’s shocking failure in his first lightweight title defense — caused the MMA world to erupt, with many fighters left blown away by one of the most impressive performances by a challenger in UFC history, including past Topuria victims Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. Topuria, 29, keep in mind, entered the bout as the No. 2-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
Check out the reaction to UFC Freedom 250’s instant classic below.
