UFC president Dana White shared his reaction to Justin Gaethje beating Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC Freedom 250.
In one of the biggest upsets in UFC championship history, Gaethje defeated Topuria via fourth-round TKO due to corner stoppage after his eye swelled up and his brother, Aleksandre, waved off the fight. It was an absolutely incredible performance, and it earned Gaethje $825,000 in bonuses after winning Performance of the Night for $425,000 and Fight of the Night for $400,000.
For Gaethje, it might set him up with top contender Arman Tsarukyan for his first UFC lightweight title defense, though he said he is also considering retirement from MMA. He wants to take some time and speak to his family first before he makes a decision about his future.
As for Topuria, this is a tough loss after he talked such a big game in the lead-up to the bout, saying he would finish Gaethje in two minutes. Now, Topuria will have to go back to the drawing board.
Dana White Shares Reaction to Justin Gathje Defeating Ilia Topuria
Following UFC Freedom 250, White shared his reaction to the main event between Gaethje and Topuria.
“It was Fight of the Night, Fight of the Year, fight of the whatever — it was one of the greatest fights you’ll ever see. It was incredible,” White said.
“Especially when you got a guy (Gaethje) who ended up as (a +400 underdog) and comes in and does what he does tonight. And then you have Ilia, the body shots that Ilia hit Gaethje with that round, and then Gaethje gets through it, and then Gaethje’s about to get into that armbar, he almost got into a triangle.
“You saw everything in that fight.”
UFC Freedom 250 Full Results
- Justin Gaethje def. Ilia Topuria via TKO (corner stoppage) – R4, 5:00
- Ciryl Gane def. Alex Pereira via TKO (punches) – R2, 1:27
- Sean O’Malley def. Aiemann Zahabi via TKO (punches) – R2, 4:02
- Josh Hokit def. Derrick Lewis via TKO (punches) – R2, 4:09
- Mauricio Ruffy def. Michael Chandler via TKO (punches) – R1, 4:29
- Bo Nickal def. Kyle Daukaus via TKO (punches) – R1, 4:34
- Diego Lopes def. Steve Garcia via KO (punches) – R2, 2:42
Dana White Reacts to Justin Gaethje Beating Ilia Topuria