Update: Gaethje upsets the heavy favorite in the main event.
Safford, Arizona’s Justin Gaethje pulled off a massive upset on the UFC Freedom 250 card, stopping Ilia Topuria, who suffered injuries to both eyes and couldn’t continue after the fourth round in the early morning hours, Eastern time, at the White House.
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Gaethje becomes the undisputed lightweight champion.
The first round saw Topuria and Gaethje punish each other, and, in Round 2, Topuria showed why he was the heavy favorite, but Gaethje survived.
Gaethje’s onslaught in Round 3 resulted in a fight doctor examining Topuria and indicating the fight should be stopped. But Topuria apparently said enough to convince the referee, Marc Goddard, to let the battle continue.
As the fourth round went on, Gaethje stepped up the pressure and, with a brutal right knee to the ribs of Topuria, put the victory within reach. As the round ended and Topuria hobbled to his corner, his handlers waved the proverbial white flag.
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On the undercard, Sean O’Malley kept the Arizona presence fresh with his his victory.
O’Malley trains out of Peoria.
Also on the card, former middleweight and light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira was defeated by Ciryl Gane.
The following story was published Friday, June 12.
UFC Freedom 250 is here, an event hailed as the most historic sporting event of all time.
That might be a reach, but there will certainly never be another one. The series of fights celebrates this year’s 250th anniversary of the United States. It will take place on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 14.
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Two UFC fighters with close ties to Arizona are part of the fight card, including Safford native Justin Gaethje, who is in one of the two title bouts.
Sean O’Malley, who trains out of Peoria, is also scheduled to fight.
Gaethje, 37, is heading into the twilight of his career. He called the chance to be part of the main event in UFC Freedom 250 “an absolute dream come true.” He will be the underdog against lightweight champion Ilia Topuria.
Gaethje had a plan for getting to UFC Freedom 250. With his win over Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 in January, he figured he’d either get a shot at Topuria at the White House or get the winner of another fight.
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“I look back to when I left Safford to go to college in 2007,” Gaethje told The Arizona Republic. “I couldn’t ever have imagined that my life would lead to this moment. It’s actually really, really special. It’s special for me, really special for my family, really special for that small community and for Arizona in general.”
Justin Gaethje takes down Charles Oliveira during UFC 274 in Phoenix on May 7, 2022.
“I come from the middle of nowhere,” he said at the prefight press conference on May 8. “To be able to represent this country at this level, at this moment in my career, is something that I could never have dreamt of. My first fight ever was outside and one of my last fights will be outside.
“It’s a crazy life. I’m so ready to put it on the line. … I will be throwing missiles on the White House lawn on June 14, I promise you that.”
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Gaethje is sure to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, with his 27-5 record and numerous memorable fights with stars of the sport. He once said he wanted to break his own nose so he could finally hear what his voice really sounds like, because he needed a nasal drip to sleep at night.
Known for his on-the-attack style and positive outlook even in defeat, Gaethje thrives in bloody and all-action brawls. He’s won 14 performance bonuses because he can’t help but go full speed every time, which fans enjoy.
Gaethje has also been outspoken about how much — or how little — athletes in UFC are paid.
“To have 14 bonuses and not equal up to a million dollars, it’s not right,” he said in January. “I should have had opportunities to do smarter things with my money, but I don’t, and I haven’t.
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“The best thing I did was probably invest in a commercial property. I purchased a house in Arizona that’s like a mile away from my parents.”
Family means a lot to Gaethje, and he has said he is grateful to have been able to take his parents and family on vacations and make memories with them with the money he’s made in fighting.
After winning two state wrestling titles at Safford High School, Gaethje wrestled at Northern Colorado University. He was that program’s first All-American since 1970.
“Being a wrestler from there (Safford) was special because we were all so tough,” Gaethje told The Republic. “My dad and his friend started a club team when I was 4 years old, and there was a lot of kids that went through there. And we took pride in going to the city and whipping up on those city kids.”
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Gaethje made his MMA debut in August 2011, then joined UFC in 2017.
Gaethje vs. Topuria and the entire fight card of UFC Freedom 250 can be seen on Paramount Plus. An annual or monthly subscription plan is required.
The weekend of the event, the UFC Freedom press conference at the Lincoln Memorial in D.C. is free and open to the public on June 12. The UFC Freedom 250 fan festival is Saturday, June 13, and Sunday, June 14, and also is free but requires tickets.
Fans can register for two tickets at ufc.com/freedom250, and those who get tickets will be randomly selected.
“Any time a sport can cause the White House or any other national entity normally locked down to do a fight there, it shows UFC and mixed martial arts … has rapidly grown,” former MMA star Tyron Woodley told NewsBettingSites.uk.
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Woodley wouldn’t answer a question about whether UFC aligning with President Donald Trump makes the event too political, saying only that he doesn’t talk politics. The event takes place on Trump’s birthday.
José M. Romero can be reached at jose.romero@gannett.com. Follow him on X at @RomeroJoseM or Instagram at @romerojosem.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Safford native Justin Gaethje wins title bout at UFC Freedom 250
