WASHINGTON – Justin Gaethje knew the exact moment he had Ilia Topuria in trouble.
Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) pulled off a big upset Sunday night in the main event of UFC Freedom 250, taking the UFC lightweight title and undefeated record away from Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC). Topuria was bruised and bloodied, pushing his corner to wave off the fight in between Rounds 4 and 5. Although the stoppage came late, Gaethje knew he had an upset coming after the first 10 minutes of the fight.
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“When he didn’t get the finish in the second round, I really think it took his spirit,” Gaethje said at the UFC Freedom 250 post-fight press conference. “Again, I said it in the press conference leading up. He really backed himself into a corner saying he was going to be so dominant. I said it. When you go to the second round, you’re going to be like, ‘What the f*ck?’ And when we go to the third round, you’re going to be like, ‘What the f*ck?’ That’s what I did tonight.”
Although competitive, Topuria did seem to be winning the fight in the first two rounds. However, the tide vastly turned in favor of Gaethje in the third. After almost 10 years fighting in the UFC, Gaethje finally accomplished his dream of becoming UFC champion. He had failed in prior attempts, coming up short in unifying the belt as interim champion against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020 and getting submitted in a vacant title against Charles Oliveira in 2022.
“It’s really hard to put things into words right now,” Gaethje said. “Such a crazy moment. A lot of delays: rehearsal, delayed. Tonight, delayed. But yeah, there are the, I wouldn’t recommend this to my enemy. We’re some of the toughest people on this earth mentally and physically. All these guys up here and all the guys who lost tonight.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Freedom 250: Justin Gaethje knows when he broke Ilia Topuria
