Justin Gaethje captured the lightweight title with a dramatic Round 4 doctor's stoppage TKO over Ilia Topuria in the UFC Freedom 250 main event on Saturday.
The bout, held at the White House, ended when the cageside physician waved off the fight in the fourth round, handing Gaethje the win and the undisputed championship. With the victory, Gaethje also earned an extra $825,000 in bonuses.
UFC CEO Dana White raved about the contest afterward. “I mean, it was Fight of the Night, but Fight of the Year, fight of the whatever – it's one of the greatest fights you'll ever see,” White said.
“It was incredible, and especially when you've got a guy, I don't know where it ended up, but 6-to 7-to-8-1 underdog, and then comes in and does what he did tonight. And then Ilia, the body shots that Ilia hit Gaethje with in that round, and then Gaethje gets through it, Gaethje's about to get into an armbar, he almost got into a triangle – you saw everything in that fight,” White added.
The result marked the first loss of Topuria’s professional career after entering UFC Freedom 250 with a 17-0 record. Gaethje, previously a two-time interim lightweight titleholder, now stands as the undisputed UFC lightweight champion.
