Gaethje beats Topuria at UFC White House event, ending his unbeaten run

On 14 June 2026, Justin Gaethje defeated Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC Freedom 250, a card staged on the South Lawn of the White House as part of United States 250th-anniversary celebrations.

The fight ended in the fourth round, when Topuria's corner stopped it because of heavy facial damage. Gaethje won by TKO (technical knockout, a stoppage by referee or corner) and took the lightweight title. Topuria, the Spanish-Georgian champion, entered the bout unbeaten, so it was the first loss of his professional career.

UFC president Dana White said afterwards that Topuria had been taken to hospital and that the injury to his eye looked serious, possibly a broken orbital bone. Reports differ slightly on the exact moment of the stoppage.

The result mattered because Topuria was widely regarded as one of the sport's biggest stars and a pound-for-pound contender. His defeat on such a high-profile stage reshaped the lightweight division and set up the long public silence that followed.