No Mas on The White House Lawn at UFC Freedom 250

In the biggest shock of the evening at UFC Freedom 250, Ilia Topuria suffered his first loss at the hands of a very good Justin Gaethje. Situated on The White House lawn, El Matador entered the octagon full of confidence, vowing to knock out Gaethje in the first round. Gaethje, on the other hand, was quiet, composed and vicious with his shots.

Shock in the UFC Freedom 250 Main Event

As a 6/1 underdog, not many people gave Gaethje a chance. He was deserving of a shot at the undisputed belt, having beaten Paddy Pimblett in an interim title bout; however, coming up against Ilia Topuria, it appeared that he’d be outgunned in the boxing range and if the fight hit the floor, Topuria is the more dangerous man. What played out, however, shocked many.

Round 1

Topuria showed Gaethje no respect, walking him down from minute one. With a tight defensive shell, the champion was looking to put Gaethje on the back foot from minute one, however, it would be the American who landed the more telling shots. 

Despite a tight shell, Gaethje was landing stiff jabs and forcing Topuria to second-guess his offence. The jab for Gaethje couldn’t miss, and it was clear that all the eye training that Topuria did before the fight wasn’t paying off.

Whether it was jabs or uppercuts, Gaethje was getting the better of the champion, and El Matador had a lot to work on, despite some success late on in the first round.

Round 2

Round 2 saw Topuria have much more success. He continued to close the distance, but began to be much more consistent and vicious with body shots. It appeared that his prediction would come true, albeit a round later than he predicted.

Topuria landed big on Gaethje, forcing him back towards the fence and he began to hunt his prey. With Gaethje concerned with taking one clean on his chin, it opened up his body. Several brutal body shots, finishing with a perfectly placed left to the body, dropping Gaethje.

The champion pounced with heavy ground and pound, threatening several submissions but to no avail. After the second round, Gaethje went back to his stool to acknowledge the body shot that Topuria landed.

Round 3

If the commentators are to be believed, Topuria was tired heading into the third round. He was much more flat-footed than in previous rounds, which made Gaethje’s life far easier. He landed heavily on Topuria and in the final minute, landed a quick 1-2 down the pipe, a flying knee and, with the final action of the round, a vicious high kick.

Topuria’s eyes were so swollen that between rounds, both his brother and the doctor appeared to want to stop the fight. At one point, it appeared that the doctor had waved the fight off, stating that Topuria couldn’t see. The champion pleaded, and the fight continued.

The Final Stanza

Topuria began the fourth round well after a prolonged break. He was sharper and cleaner with his work, although a stiff jab from Gaethje really appeared to affect Topuria’s vision. Despite having full mount, Topuria couldn’t do any damage, and Gaethje got back to his feet. 

 

A failed takedown attempt saw Topuria all but empty the tank and Gaethje easily defended it. Now it was Gaethje’s turn to work the body, a knee to the body whilst maintaining the front headlock position saw him expose a weakness in Topuria… the body. A standing knee to the body from the American was the final strike he needed to land to cement himself as a legend and crown him the undisputed lightweight champion.