Justin Gaethje ended his career-long wait for undisputed lightweight gold with a stunning victory over Ilia Topuria at the UFC’s extraordinary fight card at the White House. The 37-year-old American, a heavy underdog, battered the undefeated Georgian-Spaniard before Topuria’s corner threw in the towel after the fourth round. The fight had earlier seen referee Marc Goddard overrule the doctor’s desire to stop the bout over concerns about Topuria’s vision.
Topuria was rushed to hospital after the fight, with UFC president Dana White fearing he may have a broken orbital bone. The defeat was the first of Topuria’s career, and he left the Octagon looking completely bludgeoned.
Gaethje’s triumph followed six straight knockouts on a night where no fight went the distance. Ciryl Gane also pulled off a huge upset, knocking out Alex Pereira for the interim heavyweight title to derail “Poatan”’s push for UFC glory in a third division.
Elsewhere on the card, Sean O’Malley defeated Canada’s Aiemann Zahabi, while controversial heavyweight Josh Hokit called Michelle Obama a “man” after stopping Derrick Lewis. Bo Nickal and Diego Lopes were also victorious, and Mauricio Ruffy pulled off the finish of the night with a spinning wheel kick on Michael Chandler.
The event, held on the South Lawn of the White House, was temporarily delayed by bad weather. It took place on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, with Trump in attendance. Meanwhile, Eric Trump forcefully denied online allegations that he sought insider information about the event, dismissing screenshots from Daniel Cormier as fabricated by artificial intelligence.
