Justin Gaethje overcame the odds to capture the UFC lightweight championship at the White House on Sunday night.
The headline bout of UFC Freedom 250 delivered a dramatic ending, with the American fighter entering his 155-pound title clash as a significant underdog against the previously unbeaten champion, Ilia Topuria. After four intense and physically demanding rounds, the contest evolved into a closely fought battle before Topuria’s corner stopped the fight between rounds, handing Gaethje the championship victory.
Speaking after the bout, Gaethje praised Topuria’s abilities and highlighted the challenges he faced throughout the fight, News.Az reports, citing Yahoo Finance.
“He's very good. My liver still hurts right now,” Gaethje said during the UFC Freedom 250 post-fight press conference. “Those body shots were crazy. He was really, really fast, but when he didn't get the finish at the end of the second round, I think it really took his spirit.”
Gaethje also reflected on comments he made before the fight, when he predicted that Topuria would struggle once the bout extended into the later rounds.
“I said it in the press conference leading up — he really backed himself into a corner, saying he's going to be so dominant,” Gaethje said. “And I said it — when we go to the second round, you're going to be like, ‘What the f
?’ Then the third round, and that's what I did today.”
Despite gaining momentum as the fight progressed, Gaethje said he never believed Topuria had become an easy opponent, noting that the former champion remained dangerous until the end.
“I never felt he was broken because he was so dangerous the whole time,” Gaethje said. “But in the third round, when I started landing those jabs, when I started finding his back foot, I knew something was different.”
The victory marks one of the biggest wins of Gaethje’s career, as he dethroned the unbeaten Topuria and claimed the UFC lightweight title in a memorable main event.
Against Topuria, Gaethje faced an uphill battle from his seat as the interim champion. But the first round instantly flipped the script of expectations, as Gaethje utilized his jab to perfection and took the early lead. In the second round, the champion battled back in a big way, downing Gaethje with body shots but ultimately failing to maintain momentum down the stretch.
Gaethje noted on the UFC Freedom 250 post-show that early in the fight, Topuria was visibly distracted by the damage he had sustained.
"He's such a pretty boy that he was so concerned about the blood so immediately," Gaethje said. "I hit him with the uppercut, he's bleeding, and he started touching it over and over and over again.
"He's so f
ing dangerous, I don't know how I stayed away from some of those shots. He definitely rocked me. ... I won the first round, but he definitely hurt me in the first round. He definitely smoked my liver in the second. I've been working so hard on my jiu-jitsu, and that's what kept me calm in the chaos and got me through to the third round."
The moment couldn't have been more perfect for UFC Freedom 250 to end on; an epic back-and-forth war concluded with the heavy underdog American coming out on top against the undefeated champion — on Gaethje’s third attempt at undisputed gold, no less.
Gaethje, 37, explained that he did his best to detach from any emotions before this big fight, which he considered his absolute last chance. Additionally, he credited his last loss — the epic last-second Max Holloway knockout at UFC 300 — for getting him to this point.
"I just kept telling myself just to trust my abilities. Not be emotional," Gaethje said. "When I say I don't have emotions, I mean nothing feels better than what I feel now. So, obviously, I have emotions, but I understand that emotions can kill you and will kill you, and cause you to hesitate and cause you to overthink and take shortcuts sometimes, because you think you can do it. But again, getting knocked out by Max was such a blessing for me. I fought like an idiot, but that was such a blessing because it makes the story that much greater."
Gaethje wound up taking home an additional $825,000 in bonuses after being awarded with Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night honors.
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