Ilia Topuria's aura of invincibility is gone. In the main event of UFC Freedom 250, staged on the South Lawn of the White House in the early hours of June 15, undefeated lightweight champion Topuria was stopped by Justin Gaethje via fourth-round TKO when his corner threw in the towel before the fifth, unable to send him back out amid catastrophic facial damage.
It ranks among the biggest upsets in UFC history, with Gaethje entering as better than a 6-to-1 underdog. The fight swung wildly. Topuria dropped Gaethje with brutal body shots in the second round and chased submissions on the mat, but that pursuit gave the durable American time to recover. Gaethje turned the tide in the third with a concussive right hand that buckled Topuria and opened his face into a bloody mask. A doctor nearly waved it off between rounds before Topuria protested and was allowed to continue, only for his corner to mercifully end it after the fourth. He reportedly suffered two broken orbital bones.
Gaethje becomes the first fighter to dethrone an undisputed lightweight champion since Conor McGregor beat Eddie Alvarez in 2016. Topuria falls to 16-1.
Sources: CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports, ESPN.
Ilia Topuria's aura of invincibility is gone. In the main event of UFC Freedom 250, staged on the South Lawn of the White House in the early hours of June 15, undefeated lightweight champion Topuria was stopped by Justin Gaethje via fourth-round TKO when his corner threw in the towel before the fifth, unable to send him back out amid catastrophic facial damage.
It ranks among the biggest upsets in UFC history, with Gaethje entering as better than a 6-to-1 underdog. The fight swung wildly. Topuria dropped Gaethje with brutal body shots in the second round and chased submissions on the mat, but that pursuit gave the durable American time to recover. Gaethje turned the tide in the third with a concussive right hand that buckled Topuria and opened his face into a bloody mask. A doctor nearly waved it off between rounds before Topuria protested and was allowed to continue, only for his corner to mercifully end it after the fourth. He reportedly suffered two broken orbital bones.
Gaethje becomes the first fighter to dethrone an undisputed lightweight champion since Conor McGregor beat Eddie Alvarez in 2016. Topuria falls to 16-1.
Sources: CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports, ESPN.
