In maybe the largest upset in UFC historical past, Gaethje turns into champion after Topuria’s nook stops combat.
Printed On 15 Jun 2026
American Justin Gaethje turned the tables on Ilia Topuria to claim a shock win and take the light-weight UFC crown on the “UFC Freedom 250” occasion on the lawns of the White Home.
After Topuria (17-1) edged an exciting first two rounds on Sunday evening, Gaethje (28-5) surprised the Spaniard with a crunching proper hand earlier than following it up with a brutal flurry of jabs that left his opponent’s face swollen and bloodied.
Beneficial Tales
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Topuria appeared to have bother seeing and was checked by a physician earlier than persevering with via the fourth, however his nook threw within the towel earlier than the ultimate spherical.
“I can’t even consider it … I knew I used to be going to must get via the primary spherical, his abilities are unmatched when he’s recent,” Gaethje stated.
“However my sturdiness, my tenacity and my coronary heart have been going to hold me via.”
The bout headlined the primary skilled sporting occasion to be hosted on the White Home, a key a part of US President Donald Trump’s celebrations of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Within the co-main occasion, France’s Ciryl Gane dominated Brazil’s Alex Pereira earlier than scoring a surprising second-round knockout win to change into the interim UFC heavyweight champion.
Pereira, a former mild heavyweight and middleweight champion, was seeking to change into the primary UFC fighter to win titles in three divisions after stepping as much as heavyweight.
O’Malley beats Zahabi, Hokit stops Lewis
Sean O’Malley backed up his standing as one of many US’ hottest combined martial artists, defeating Aiemann Zahabi with a walk-off knockout that might be a staple of UFC spotlight reels for years to return.
O’Malley, at all times the showman, gave a military-style salute to the gang of service members and the president’s invitees as Zahabi (14-3) was falling to the canvas. The win places O’Malley (20-3) firmly again into bantamweight title competition and he’ll doubtless be subsequent up for champion Petr Yan, whom he known as out in his post-fight interview.
Josh Hokit continued his stand up the heavyweight division, backing up his viral and controversial fight-week antics by ending the UFC’s knockout king, Derrick Lewis, with an prolonged mixture of punches at 4:09 within the second spherical.
It was a dominant efficiency from Hokit via and thru, as he practically completed Lewis (29-14) a number of occasions within the first spherical as properly to enhance to 10-0.
Mauricio Ruffy of Brazil’s esteemed Preventing Nerds registered one other assertion efficiency, stopping 40-year-old Michael Chandler at 4:29 in the primary spherical of their light-weight bout. Ruffy (14-2) damage Chandler (23-11) with a surprising roundhouse kick and ended the combat with a handful of ending blows to Chandler’s head.
The combat may very properly be the top of Chandler’s UFC profession and basically diminishes any likelihood he had at combating Conor McGregor sooner or later, whom he was reportedly in line to face with a victory.
Bo Nickal earned his second straight victory, ending fellow American Kyle Daukaus with a vicious proper adopted by a sequence of elbows at 4:34 within the first spherical of their middleweight combat. Nickal (9-1), a former All-American wrestler at Penn State, has now completed three of his six wins within the UFC by KO/TKO and is 6-1 within the UFC since his 2023 debut. Daukaus fell to 17-5.
After an hour-long delay as a consequence of rain, Brazilian featherweight Diego Lopes knocked out Albuquerque’s Steve Garcia with an explosive mixture of punches at 2:42 within the second spherical.
It was a formidable come-from-behind effort by Lopes (28-8), who was unquestionably shedding the featherweight combat earlier than Garcia (19-6) made the choice to commerce punches with him.
