UFC star Arman Tsarukyan won more than £4 million after backing Justin Gaethje to beat Ilia Topuria in the main event of the UFC's historic White House card.
Gaethje's Upset Victory
Gaethje upset the odds to become the undisputed lightweight champion when Topuria retired on his stool at the end of the fourth round. Gaethje was ahead on each of the three judges' scorecards as he triumphed in the main event.
Tsarukyan was also celebrating having staked $1 million (£740,000), which earned him more than $5 million. Despite his winnings, the Russian took a swipe at Topuria, nicknaming him 'no mas' (no more). Tsarukyan had been angling for a shot at Topuria, but Gaethje was given the nod after winning the interim title by beating Paddy Pimblett earlier this year.
Gaethje's Reaction
After the biggest win of his career, Gaethje said: "I told myself I was going to lose, I told myself I was going to get embarrassed so that I can go to my most primal place and dig deep. And I had to. That guy had me in trouble, he rocked my chin and smoked my liver, but I stuck in. Look at my face, I’ve got some thick-a** face, something’s wrong with me."
President Donald Trump joined Gaethje in the cage to offer his congratulations as he celebrated a win for the American fighter. Topuria, meanwhile, was taken straight to hospital with the scant consolation of picking up the Fight of the Night bonus for his part in the main event.
Co-Main Event and Other Fights
In the co-main event, Ciryl Gane stopped Alex Pereira to win the interim heavyweight title and set up a rematch with Tom Aspinall. The rivals clashed last October, but the fight was stopped in the opening round when Gane poked the champion in both eyes. Aspinall has since had surgery on both eyes and has yet to resume full training.
Earlier, Sean O'Malley continued his journey back to a bantamweight title shot with a second-round stoppage of Aiemann Zahabi. O'Malley has now won two on the bounce since losing his title to Merab Dvalishvili and then slipping to defeat in their rematch. Michael Chandler's UFC career is hanging by a thread after he was stopped in the first round by Mauricio Ruffy.
Josh Hokit stopped Derrick Lewis in the second round to extend his perfect record to 10-0 and take a step closer to a heavyweight title shot. Bo Nickal made it two wins from two since he lost his first fight last year when he stopped Kyle Daukaus, while Diego Lopes opened the card by beating Steve Garcia.
