UsmanNurmagomedov and IliaTopuria could be on a collision course, and the Russian'smanager has now weighed in on the matchup.

Nurmagomedov (22-0) is the most sought-after free agent in mixedmartial arts presently. The undefeated Professional Fighters League lightweight exhausted his currentcontract with the promotion by defending his ****** le with a knockoutwin over ArchieColgan at PFL New York.

Usman's manager has now addressed how he'd fare against the formertwo-division Ultimate Fighting Championship ****** leholder.
Topuria (17-1) was the fastest-rising fighter in the sport untilhis ****** le loss to JustinGaethje at UFC Freedom 250, the first defeat of his pro career. Despitebeing no longer unbeaten, he remains one of the biggest stars inthe UFC.

Ali Abdelaziz manages both Gaethje and Nurmagomedov. With rumors ofNurmagomedov looking to sign with the UFC now circulating,Abdelaziz predicts that the Dagestani standout will stop Topuria bythe fourth round, as Gaethje did.

"I told everyone before that Justin Gaethje would beat IliaTopuria," Abdelaziz wrote on X. "And I'm telling you today: UsmanNurmagomedov will stop Ilia Topuria within four rounds."

It remains to be seen whether Nurmagomedov re-signs with the PFLamid their merger with Jake Paul'sMost Valuable Promotions. Notably, DanaWhite confirmed the UFC's interest in the 28-year-old followingUFC Belgrade.

#topuria #gaethje #title #russian 'smanager

Terence "Bud" Crawford has addressed ConorMcGregor's anticlimactic return to action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

McGregor's return to the Octagon ended in just 69 seconds atUFC 329. The former two-division champion seemingly injured hisright knee in the opening sequence of the fight, leading to astoppage from the referee as he was unable to continue.

UFC CEO DanaWhite subsequently speculated that it could be an ACL-relatedissue, an unfortunate occurrence considering McGregor's last boutbefore UFC 329 also ended in a leg injury.
Crawford, who has gone back and forth with McGregor previously,believes the Irishman got what was coming his way. The unbeatenboxer and the MMA superstar were once rumored to be squaring off ina two-fight crossover series across both combat sports, andMcGregor claimed Crawford turned down a $200 million deal, whichthe latter has since dismissed.

"It's crazy when they talk sh*t to me God punish them," Crawfordwrote on X.

This isn't the first time Crawford has addressed an MMA result.After IliaTopuria suffered the first defeat of his professional career atUFC Freedom 250 to JustinGaethje, "Bud" questioned the hype behind "El Matador" goinginto the historic White House event. Notably, Topuria hadpreviously claimed he could beat Crawford in boxing.

"This the guy that said he would knock me out and whoop me andShakur at the same time?" Crawford posted after UFC Freedom250.

LAS VEGAS – Paddy Pimblett is certain the UFC lightweight **** le is in his future.
Pimblett (24-4 MMA, 8-1 UFC) bounced back from his interim **** le loss to Justin Gaethje by making quick work of Benoit Saint Denis (18-3 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in the co-main event of UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena. When asked what he'd like next, he didn't have a specific name in mind, but he made sure to voice his UFC championship ambitions.
"I want to be a world champion," Pimblett said at the UFC 329 post-fight press conference. "I want to be the undisputed champion of the world. I want to be the first-ever world champion from Liverpool, and I'm going to do that. I know that's in my destiny. I know it's in my fate. Whether it's the next fight or the next 10 fights, I'm going to be a world champion. It's that simple. If you want me to fight Justin (Gaethje) next, if you want me to fight posh boy (Arman Tsarukyan) next, if you want me to fight 'chorizo' (Ilia Topuria) next, if you want me to fight Charles (Oliveira) next, anyone can get it."
Pimblett entered UFC 329 as an underdog, and highly-doubted by many. For him, it's another day at the office, as he feels history repeats itself with him.
"Yeah, the goalposts will get moved," Pimblett said. "Everyone will say, 'Huh, BSD was sh*t anyway.' You know what I mean? When two days ago it was, 'BSD, he's going to smash Paddy. His grappling is way better. He's got too much power for him,' this and that. People just love moving the goalposts with me, and I don't give a f*ck. Move them all you want. As long as I keep winning, I keep getting paid and keep making steps toward being a world champion. You can say what you want. Anyone can say what they want about me. Simple."

Paddy Pimblett might have stolen the show at UFC 329.
On a card headlined by the return of Conor McGregor facing longtime rival Max Holloway, Pimblett set the bar high for highlight of the night with a stunning submission win over Benoit Saint Denis in under 60 seconds. This was Pimblett’s first fight since seeing his unblemished UFC record spoiled by Justin Gaethje this past January and he wasted no time reminding fans and pundits that he is a legitimate lightweight ******* le contender.
Pimblett put Saint Denis to sleep to win his 10th fight in his last 11 appearances and he wowed his peers, with featherweight veteran Billy Quarantillo writing on Twitter, “Quick submission Paddy is the real deal.” Kenny Florian and Glover Teixeira, a couple of retired stars who know a thing or two about grappling, were also effusive in their praise for “The Baddy.”
The performance was so impressive, UFC veteran Matt Brown suggested that it’s time for Pimblett to have his long-awaited showdown with former two-division champion Ilia Topuria.
“Ilia vs. Paddy next?” Brown wrote on Twitter. “Easiest matchmaking ever right?”

Paddy Pimblett may have burned more energy during his UFC 329 walkout than the fight itself.
In the co-main event Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Pimblett (24-4 MMA, 8-1 UFC) slept Benoit Saint Denis (17-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) with a D'Arce choke a mere 52 seconds into their highly-anticipated lightweight clash.
The fight was simple in terms of how it played out. Saint Denis shot for a takedown early and was immediately caught in a choke. Pimblett made some adjustments, most notably sitting his rear on the canvas with the choke locked in. Saint Denis tried to escape – but instead his consciousness escaped him.
Pimblett, 31, bounces back big from an interim ****** le fight loss to Justin Gaethje in January. The loss was his first in the UFC and snapped a nine-fight winning streak. It aged well, however, as Gaethje claimed undisputed gold against Ilia Topuria in June.
Saint Denis, 30, loses by submission for the first time in his career and has a four-fight winning streak snapped.

Dricus DuPlessis has accused former Ultimate Fighting Championship ****** leholder KamaruUsman of delaying their bout.

While Usman and du Plessis are now confirmed to be squaring off atUFC Oklahoma City on July 18, the latter claims "The NigerianNightmare" wasn't keen on the matchup. Ahead of the two formerchampions' clash, du Plessis has revealed that the UFC had toconvince Usman to sign the contract.
The UFC Oklahoma City main event announcement was left until the11th hour, despite du Plessis claiming weeks earlier that he'd beenoffered a fight and was waiting for his opponent to sign thecontract. With the Fight Night headlining bout now confirmed,"Stillknocks" has opened up about how it came together.

"He didn't want to sign the contract. I know that for a fact," duPlessis said in an interview with Fight Forecast. "I spoke to theUFC and they said, 'We finally convinced him to sign.' If you needconvincing to sign, that's a problem, but I can't blame him. Iwould also not want to fight me right now. It would be the smartmove not to sign the fight, but let's go."

While Usman is a couple of years removed from his dominantwelterweight ****** le run, du Plessis isn't counting out theNigerian-American, especially considering how Usman's teammateJustinGaethje defeated the far younger IliaTopuria at UFC Freedom 250.

"We've been talking about the fight for a long time. He's mentionedthe fight way before we made the fight and I said, 'Well, cool.I'll take that fight.' Now people will say, 'Why don't you fight[Nassourdine] Imavov?' I don't mind that fight either," he added."I want to fight somebody that gets me to my ****** le again. KamaruUsman, yes, he's a bit older, but now you look at what [Justin]Gaethje just did, so that throws that argument out the windowimmediately."

Justin Gaethje is reaping the benefits of winning the UFC lightweight ******* le off Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 last month, which includes a recent visit to President Donald Trump in the Oval Office to celebrate his victory.
Last month’s UFC White House card was a smashing success. Not only did the Paramount+ card do incredible numbers worldwide, but the weather held, every fight delivered a knockout, and Gaethje — an American underdog — won his main event clash with Topuria. Most experts picked Topuria to walk through Gaethje like he had against other UFC greats like Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira.
Fortunately for Gaethje, he fought the fight of his life. “Highlight” had to overcome some early adversity against Topuria, but for the most part he was on his bicycle from the opening bell. Eventually, the damage piled up and Topuria wasn’t able to get off his stool entering the fifth round. Gaethje walked away with UFC’s undisputed lightweight ******* le and one of the biggest upsets over the past five years.
Earlier this week, Gaethje continued his celebration tour by going back to the White House. Trump was there to welcome Gaethje and his parents with open arms while sharing the moment on social media. Check it out below:
“Justin Gaethje came to the Oval Office to celebrate, with his parents, his great victory two weeks ago.

Ahead of Ian Garry'stitle fight against IslamMakhachev, DanielCormier has weighed in on the Irishman's mindset.

Garry is confident about beating Makhachev and recently predicted alate stoppage when they square off in the main event of UFC 330at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia on Aug. 15. Cormier opinedthat this approach could spell trouble for "The Future."
Cormier isn't a fan of Garry wanting to show off all his skills inevery aspect of MMA before finding a late finish. The UFC Hall ofFamer said on his YouTube channel:

"Sometimes, a person is misguided in their thoughts, and whenthey're misguided in their thoughts, they set themselves up for avery, very bad night or a bad result. I'm not saying Ian Garrycannot beat Islam Makhachev. What I'm saying is you've got to takethat as it comes. You can't try to say, 'I want to beat the No. 1pound-for-pound fighter in the world in a certain round because Idon't want it to be a fluke.' If you win, it does not matter howyou win."

The former two-division champion claims that it shouldn't matter toa fighter if others consider their victory a fluke. All thatmatters is the result, whether it comes in the opening round or thefifth. He then encouraged Garry to let go of pre-fightpredictions.

"I would encourage him to let go of the idea that you want to callyour shot, and you call your shot later in the fight so that peopledon't have an opinion of what happened. It doesn't matter whathappens if you beat the best fighter in the world across all weightclasses, pound-for-pound. It doesn't matter how you win. It onlymatters that you win. And if Ian Garry wins by a fast knockout, ifIan Garry wins by submission, or if Ian Garry wins by decision, itdoesn't matter."

Garry is a sizable betting underdog heading into the Makhachevfight. However, the last two men's championship bouts in theUltimate Fighting Championship have resulted in upsets, withSeanStrickland beating KhamzatChimaev at UFC 328and JustinGaethje defeating IliaTopuria at UFC Freedom 250.

The UFC Freedom 250 main event was memorable for many reasons.
Justin Gaethje became the undisputed UFC lightweight champion by leaving Ilia Topuria on his stool after the conclusion of Round 4. It was a spectacular comeback from an early scare, as Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) was badly hurt by a Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) body shot.
Resilient as ever, Gaethje managed to weather the storm, and turn the tide of the fight in Round 3, leaving Topuria battered and bloodied like never before. There was controversy with a ringside doctor attempting to call the fight off, but after some debating, the fight continued into Round 4. That's where Gaethje continued to add damage to the previously unbeaten Topuria. The fight would conclude before Round 5, after Topuria's corner called the fight off.
In a special behind-the-scenes documentary, "UFC Fight House: The Biggest Fight in History" by Fox Nation, the stoppage was captured, along with UFC CEO Dana White and US president Donald Trump's immediate reactions to the main event's final moments.
You can watch a clip of the documentary in the video above. The full video, which takes a special look at the event's early planning stages through to its completion, is available on Fox Nation.

Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Let’s start the night off by taking a look back over the three biggest stories of Wednesday, July 1, 2026.
Mystic Mac? Study proves more than 71 percent of Conor McGregor’s fight predictions are wrong | UFC 329: Well … you miss every shot you don’t take?
Pic: Sunglass-wearing Ilia Topuria shows face for first time since UFC Freedom 250 beatdown: Ilia Topuria seems to be healing well from several recent pictures and videos. Facial swelling can dissipate quickly!
‘On the UFC payroll’ Michael Bisping claps back at ‘horse sh*t’ Eddie Hearn – ‘I care about fighters!’: Michael Bisping and Daniel Cormier have gone full “Company Man” in retirement, why deny it?

Jon Jones advises Ilia Topuria to be honest with himself in the aftermath of his first professional loss.

Topuria (17-1) was a massive favorite going into his ****** le unification bout against Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 last month. However, the latter handed “El Matador” a brutal beating, forcing his corner to stop the fight after the fourth round. While Gaethje finally captured gold in his third crack at the crown, Topuria suffered his first career loss.
Jones, who is essentially undefeated with his lone career loss being a controversial disqualification, believes Topuria can come back stronger from the defeat. “Bones” claims to have heard that the former two-division champion is humble and honest in defeat, and believes acknowledging one's own mistakes instead of making excuses is the key to returning from a loss.

Jones told Red Corner MMA: “Ilia’s gonna be in a good position. He has faith. He has a strong team. And that’s a lot of what it takes. He has a work ethic. I think he’s honest with himself… What I heard was that he’s humble. That he’s honest. That he realized that he just didn’t perform well. I think that’s the number one step of getting back into the ring in a healthy way. It’s the guys who make excuses, that’s when it’s hard to come back and win that rematch… Honesty with yourself is the key to MMA.”

What adds to the weight of Topuria’s loss are his pre-fight antics. Topuria had repeatedly predicted a first-round knockout win, changed his record on his social media bio, and even celebrated a day before the fight, traditions he might opt against going forward.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight king Ilia Topuria lost to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250, sustaining quite a bit of facial damage.

Over two weeks after the bout, the extent to the bruising on his face have been revealed. A Georgian reporter has shared an image of the former two-division champion posing for a photograph with a young fan.
As seen in a recent photo alongside a fan, Topuria’s face looks far better now than it did following his defeat to Gaethje. Georgian reporter Giorgi Kokiashvili shared the photo on X, wherein the swelling around the fighter’s eyes had significantly reduced, along with the bruising. Furthermore, cuts he sustained at the historic White House fight also appear to have healed well.
Gaethje opened a cut under Topuria’s eye in the very first round of their ****** le fight, and piled on the damage in the third and fourth rounds. The latter’s corner opted to call the bout before the final round, and he lost the championship as a result.

Days after the fight, Topuria congratulated Gaethje in an Instagram post, highlighted how the American effectively blinded him on the night, and vowed that their rivalry is far from over.

“Justin, congratulations. You said you’d leave your mark on my face… and you did,” he wrote after losing. “You took the sight from my right eye in the first round, and by the end of the second, from my left too. No excuses. I had one of the best camps of my life. I came in sharp, prepared, and ready. Last night was your night. That’s the nature of this game. Glory and pain walk side by side. I’ll heal. I’ll rest. And I’ll return stronger, wiser, and far more dangerous. And trust me… this story between us is far from over. We will have our rematch.”

Merab Dvalishvili believes his fellow Georgian fighter Ilia Topuria will return stronger and better than ever.
Dvalishvili and Topuria are going through similar situations, having gone from seemingly invincible to both losing their belts in their last fight. Dvalishvili lost a clear decision to Petr Yan in December, while Topuria got into a car wreck with Justin Gaethje that left him with two broken orbitals and a broken nose.
In a new interview with MMA Fighting, "The Machine" discussed the Topuria loss and what went wrong for Ilia in the cage.
"[The] fight was really tough," Dvalishvili said. "Unfortunately, Ilia was fighting blind since the first round. I think one moment Justin Gaethje threw a punch [with his thumb extended], I think he eye poked him. It was even worse and then Ilia [was] blind in both eyes. He [wanted] to keep fighting."
"When you got eye poked or you broke this [orbital] bone, you are blind pretty much. That affects the fight. That was the main thing. Ilia was fighting blind. That's what Ilia said."

Former UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria was practically unrecognizable following his UFC White House loss to Justin Gaethje, a four-round shellacking that left “El Matador” with a pair of broken orbital bones— and the first loss of his professional career.
“El Matador” was not expected to make his return until 2027; however, word from the Topuria camp suggests the former two-division ****** leholder could start his revenge tour as early as December.
“Day by day, he already looks like an entirely different person,” trainer Jesus Gallo told SerEbro EnlosDeportes (transcribed by ****** Elbow). “Obviously, he still feels discomfort, but it doesn’t seem like he’s had any fights really. All the swelling in his face has gone down. All the bruising he had has gone down. To the naked eye, you can see a person who has already recovered a lot, and it has been a week and two days.”
Gaethje has a way of doing that to people.
“What the doctor told us was that within six to eight weeks, it should heal properly, especially because there was no orbital bone displacement, so it will heal on its own,” Gallo added. “After that, for him to start wrestling again, to start doing things again, it’ll take a little while for it to really solidify there. I think we’re talking about at least two to three months, easily. If you saw us in a rematch or in a fight, it would be toward the end of the year, in December. Who knows? We’ll see.”

Justin Gaethje can finally call himself the undisputed UFC champion, but questions of retirement remain.
Entering the white house to represent his country in front of the president, 'The Highlight' produced yet another unforgettable night under the lights. Up against the odds, which has become a familiarity, the Arizona native entered the octagon against an undefeated global superstar responsible for some of the biggest knockouts in recent history, Ilia Topuria. However, that didn't faze the 37-year-old, who dominated and earned a corner stoppage victory ahead of the fifth round, securing UFC gold.
With the ******* le victory, there's not much left for Justin Gaethje to accomplish. With retirement rumors persisting, Gaethje has a choice to make. Fellow UFC great, Georges St-Pierre, believes retiring on top is the route Gaethje should favor at this stage of his career.
"He's the kind of guy that works really hard and he comes back from adversity," St-Pierre said. "It's really inspiring to see what he has accomplished."
In addition to being the undisputed UFC lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje has been a two-time interim UFC champ and has held the BMF belt following a knockout win over Dustin Poirier.

Georges St-Pierre knows a thing or two about retiring on top.
Add former UFC dual-champion St-Pierre to the list of fighters who are urging Justin Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) to hang up his gloves after upsetting Ilia Topuria to claim the lightweight ****** le at UFC Freedom 250 last Sunday.
St-Pierre vacated his UFC welterweight ****** le after a controversial ****** le defense over Johny Hendricks in 2013, but returned four years later to submit Michael Bisping and capture the UFC middleweight ****** le in November 2017. He called it a career then and never entertained fighting again.
"He's the kind of guy that works really hard and he comes back from adversity," St-Pierre said of Gaethje on "The Break Talk." "It's really inspiring to see what he has accomplished. You might not like what I'm going to say, but if I were him, because I like him, retirement. I heard Demetrious Johnson said it, but that's what I would do. That would be an amazing ending. What else does he want to accomplish? He did it all."
Gaethje refused to commit to retirement after promising his mom that he wouldn't discuss the topic. However, "The Highlight" recently revealed to Joe Rogan that he plans on trucking on, and St-Pierre would like him to reconsider.

Justin Gaethje feels that Ilia Topuria faces an uphill climb after UFC Freedom 250.
Gaethje handed Topuria his first professional loss on June 14, pulling off a memorable upset at the White House.
Despite being dropped early, Gaethje fought back and eventually forced Topuria out of the fight before the final round could begin.
Since then, questions have been raised about how 'El Matador' will respond to his first major defeat, especially after entering his ******* le defence with such high confidence.
Ilia Topuria was respectful in his post-fight comments after losing to Justin Gaethje at the White House. But in the lead-up to the bout, 'El Matador' had been vocal about his confidence, predicting an easy win to stay unbeaten.

In the ever-shifting MMA landscape, ranking the world’s greatest fighters might seem like a fool’s errand, but that’s exactly what we’ve set out to do with the MMA Fighting Global Rankings. Here, our esteemed panel sorts out the movers and shakers from every division to provide you with the most definitive list of the best fighters on the planet.
UFC White House has come and gone and days later, Justin Gaethje’s dream remains a reality: He is the undisputed lightweight champion.
Gaethje was MMA Fighting’s No. 5-ranked fighter at 155 pounds heading into his duel with the undefeated Ilia Topuria, with Charles Oliveira (who previously finished Gaethje), Max Holloway (ditto), and Arman Tsarukyan ahead of him. Twice, Gaethje has held the interim ***** le, a dubious honor that seemed to label him as destined to always be a runner-up. A competitive win over Paddy Pimblett did little to inspire confidence that the undisputed crown was in his future.
And yet, here we are. Look at that lightweight graphic below. No. 1. Justin Gaethje. Still doesn’t seem real.
The other big fight at the White House saw Ciryl Gane fend off Alex Pereira to join Gaethje as the only UFC fighters to win an interim ***** le twice. Fortunately for “Poatan,” his ranking remains unchanged as he was moving up from his home at light heavyweight to chase unprecedented three-division glory. The immediate future of 205 is cloudy right now with Pereira insisting he’s staying at heavyweight and current light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg on the mend after injuring his knee the same night he won the ***** le at UFC 327. For now, everyone holds on to their spots.

Last weekend’s UFC Freedom 250 fight card was an incredible sight to behold and now fight fans can rewatch the action in super slow motion.
UFC’s Washington D.C. takeover, which was led by a massive upset from Justin Gaethje in a main event ******* le fight against UFC lightweight king Ilia Topuria, looked like something straight out of a movie. With live music, incredible pyrotechnics, custom videography, a massive “Claw” hovering over the Octagon, fighter walkouts from the actual Oval office, and the White House in the backdrop, UFC Freedom 250 offered fight fans a look at MMA that may never come around again.
Of course, not everything went down without a hitch. Unexpected lawsuits, potentially hazardous weather, and overwhelming political backlash, were all pre-fight factors for the biggest MMA promotion in the world. Luckily, UFC officials were able to pull it off. The White House event may not have produced Super Bowl-like ratings, but it certainly lived up to the hype.
In case you missed any of the action, UFC just released the Freedom 250 slow-motion video recap on Friday and it’s just as glorious as we remember. From Gaethje’s incredible main event performance to six additional knockout finishes, UFC’s White House extravaganza has never looked better.
Check it out in the above video player and let us know your favorite slow-motion moment!

Michael Bisping thinks the manner in which Ilia Topuria lost to Justin Gaethje could change him – for the worse.
Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) was battered in a lightweight ***** le loss to Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) in this past Sunday's UFC Freedom 250 headliner at the White House in Washington. Prior to the fight, Topuria updated his Instagram bio to reflect a Gaethje win, and threw a victory party – something he's already done before.
Bisping is concerned with what the loss will do to Topuria's confidence after he tasted defeat for the first time in his career.
"He might never be the same fighter," Bisping said of Topuria on the "JAXXON PODCAST." "He was undefeated. He got beaten badly. I'm a fan of Ilia Topuria – not only the way he fights, the way that he carries himself. He's a really cool guy. He's a gentleman. There's no controversy. He's a cool guy. I think Josh Hokit rattled him a bit at the press conference. He was a little bit off all week because of the stuff from Hokit, and he pushed Justin Gaethje (at the weigh-ins).
"I think he lets his emotions get in the way a little bit. However, when you lose a fight like that, you've been beaten. Like 'Prince' Naseem Hamed: He was destroying everyone, then he lost one fight, and he was never the same again. Now you know you can be beaten. There's that doubt in there. Who knows? Maybe he comes back, and he's a better version of himself, but we don't know until that happens."

Justin Gaethje will take the rest of the year off after reaching his ultimate goal at UFC Freedom 250.
Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) pulled off a shocking upset to dethrone Ilia Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) by doctor's stoppage TKO to claim the lightweight ***** le this past Sunday at the White House in Washington.
Gaethje fought only once in 2024 and 2025, but managed to log in two fights this year already. With his violent style, which has seen him win 17 bonuses in 16 fights, "The Highlight" doesn't expect to compete again in 2026. He was suspended 180 days by the ***** ociation of Boxing and Combative Sports Commissions (ABC) until his right wrist and left knee MRIs are cleared, and was also handed 45 days mandatory rest.
"I already fought twice this year and very rarely do you get me twice in one year so there's a very, very, very small chance that I would ever consider fighting this year again with what I put myself through," Gaethje said on "The Pat McAfee Show."
It was Gaethje who was inflicting the damage against Topuria, leaving the formerly unbeaten champion with severe damage to both eyes and a battered face.

UFC's fight card at the White House delivered a record-breaking viewership to Paramount+, according to the streaming platform, with 17 million viewers tuning in.
On Sunday, an unprecedented event took place on the South Lawn, as seven UFC fights played out to celebrate 250 years of the United States, as well as the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump.
Trump sat cageside with UFC chief Dana White, a good friend of his, as the night ended with Justin Gaethje securing an upset stoppage win over Ilia Topuria to become lightweight champion. In the co-main event, Ciryl Gane stopped Alex Pereira to win the interim heavyweight ******* le.
In fact, all seven bouts ended with stoppages, as American star Sean O'Malley joined compatriots Josh Hokit and Bo Nickal in picking up victories – although Hokit and Nickal's wins came at the expense of other US fighters.
Regardless, the event was a resounding success for Paramount+, which was the exclusive broadcaster of the fights in the US and Latin America.

The UFC White House card produced seven knockouts in seven fights, and that means a lot of the athletes who competed this past Sunday night are looking at potentially lengthy layoffs as a result.
On Thursday, California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster shared the medical suspensions from the UFC White House card with MMA Fighting after he served as one of the regulators for the event for the **** ociation of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports.
Both main event fighters, Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria, were handed six-month suspensions after they engaged in one of the most epic battles in recent history. Gaethje ultimately walked away victorious after he battered Topuria with punches, closing both of his eyes and blasting him with a knee to the body that led to his corner stopping the fight between the fourth and fifth rounds.
As a result, Topuria was handed a 180-day suspension, or he has to be cleared by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon to compete any earlier. He was also handed a mandatory 60-day suspension with no exceptions.
Meanwhile, Gaethje may have won, but he also received the same 180-day suspension, or he has to be cleared by a physician for a potential right wrist injury, as well as a left knee MRI for the damage absorbed during the fight.

UFC ******* yst Din Thomas finds the career of Ilia Topuria to be even more captivating now that he's no longer an undefeated UFC champion.
Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) saw one of the great octagon runs in history come to an end Sunday at UFC Freedom 250 when he lost the lightweight ******* le to Justin Gaethje by four-round TKO via corner stoppage. It was a Fight of the Year candidate that entertained the masses, but was also a far cry from the contest Topuria claimed it would be.
"El Matador" confidently stated he would dispatch of Gaethje inside the opening round on the White House South Lawn. Reality was far more cruel, however, and he ended up on the wrong end up a significant upset.
"It's the one that he needed," Thomas told MMA Junkie. "He has to do some soul-searching, because the same mentality that needed to be so great – he needs that now. To feel like you're invincible and feel that you're so great. That happens when you feel that and you trust in yourself and are drinking wine the night before the fight. Now you have to go back and question yourself, and that's where the soul-searching begins.
"Now you start to have doubt. Do you trust yourself anymore and have these same beliefs? Are you as great as you thought you were? You have to go and have that same level of confidence knowing that it didn't work against a guy like Justin Gaethje, where you were a 6-1 favorite. That's a lot of soul searching. I think Ilia can do it."

Watching UFC Freedom 250 reminded me of what boxing has been getting so wrong of late.
There were so many defining images from the MMA market-leader’s signature show, that it was hard to keep track of them all.
It went beyond the U.S. Navy combining with the Air Force for a spectacular flyover of Blue Angels and Thunderbird jets, to U.S. President Donald Trump getting his own walkout alongside UFC boss Dana White. The pageantry would have meant little if the fights fizzled out, but each of the seven bouts all seemed to over-deliver. And it was all punctuated with American fighter, Justin Gaethje, pulling off the mother of all upsets by breaking Ilia Topuria’s face in two places.
But that’s not what stuck most with me, looking at the event from my boxing lens.
No, it was actually the introduction of the former heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, during a moment that over-promised and under-delivered.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 15: Justin Gaethje participates in a press conference with other fight winners and Dana White following UFC Freedom 250 at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC on June 15, 2026. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Justin Gaethje will be sidelined for at least six months following his epic TKO victory over Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14. Like a few others who battled on that night, Gaethje was handed a 180-day medical suspension to heal the injuries he suffered in the scrap with Topuria. Let's talk MMA.
Gaethje received a 180-day medical suspension after UFC Freedom 250, pending right-wrist and left-knee MRI clearance, plus 45 days of mandatory rest.
The term is listed as "up to" 180 days and can be shortened with clean scans.
Topuria also drew a 180-day suspension for facial injuries, so both winner and loser were sidelined.

UFC Freedom 250 brought loads of violence to the White House lawn Sunday in Washington DC.
While all 14 fighters were suspended by the ******* ociation of Boxing and Combative Sports Commissions (ABC), nine received longer-than-mandatory time off for specific injuries sustained in the bout.
On Wednesday, MMA Junkie received the full list of those medical suspensions, from California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster, who served as one of the head regulators of the event.
Receiving maximum durations, unsurprisingly, were headliners Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria, who engaged in a gutsy back-and-forth war. Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC), who was significantly swollen as he retired to the stool between Rounds 4 and 5, received a 180-day suspension and will need to seek oral and maxillofacial surgeon clearance. Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) was given the same duration for injuries to his right wrist and left knee.
Also receiving the 180-day suspension was Alex Pereira, who was finished by Ciryl Gane in the co-main event. Pereira (13-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC), too, will need maxillofacial CT scan clearance. His opponent Gane (14-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC), walked away relatively unscathed, needing only eight days off for rest in the commission's eyes.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently updated its official rankings following the historic UFC Freedom 250 mixed martial arts (MMA) event last weekend on Paramount+. Brand new undisputed Lightweight champion Justin Gaethje is now in the pound-for-pound rankings at No. 4, while Ilia Topuria tumbles three spots.
In addition, former Lightweight ******* le challenger Michael Chandler has been evicted from the rankings for the first time in his UFC and Bo Nickal is back in the Middleweight rankings.
Here’s how the rankings are compiled, at least until AI takes over:
Rankings are generated by a voting panel made up of media members. The media members were asked to vote for who they feel are the top fighters in the UFC by weight-class and pound-for-pound. A fighter is only eligible to be voted on if they are in active status in the UFC. A fighter can appear in more than one weight division at a time. The champion and interim champion are considered to be in the top positions of their respective divisions and therefore are not eligible for voting by weight-class. However, the champions can be voted on for the pound-for-pound rankings.
Take a look at what the latest rankings field looks like courtesy of UFC.com. Note: (+/- = movement in rankings, T = tie, *NR = Not previously ranked).

The UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House sent ripples through the worlds of sports and politics and culture, living up to the promise of a Rorschach test in which seemingly no two people saw the exact same thing. Now that the dust has settled, here's how the list of big winners and losers looks to this writer.
This is a safe ******* e so you can ahead and admit it: you didn't ever think Gaethje would get to call himself the one and only UFC lightweight champion.
There's no shame in being wrong about that. Since when do 37-year-old lightweights up and win the undisputed ******* le after already having had that window of opportunity slammed on their heads twice before? It simply doesn't happen.
But we made a critical error in our ******* sment of Gaethje's late-career abilities. We forgot to take into account his unique ability to somehow, some way convince his opponents to engage in a Justin Gaethje kind of fight. You know the kind. Feet firmly planted. Haymakers whistling through the air. A battle of power and toughness and good ol' stubbornness. And you're simply not going to out-stubborn this anvil-headed mule. To finally win the ******* le this way is a storybook ending for Gaethje — even though we all know it won't actually be the end.
Remember that thing Muhammad Ali said about how it ain't bragging if it's true? Actually, maybe that was Will Rogers. Regardless, Topuria's first professional defeat was a good reminder that, when you don't back it up, all that confidence — the specific predictions and promises, the celebrations before the fight even happens — it just comes off as hubris.

Ilia Topuria’s defeat to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 has created the first major uncertainty of his career.
The Spaniard had been unbeaten before Sunday, but a heavy loss to one of the sport’s most damaging fighters has raised questions about how he will respond.
That debate has brought Khabib Nurmagomedov’s old warning about Tony Ferguson back into focus, because Ferguson’s decline began after a similar night against Gaethje.
Ferguson entered UFC 249 with a 15-1 UFC record, but Gaethje punished him across five rounds and changed the direction of his career.
Khabib later predicted: “Tony Ferguson’s time is finished. Now he’s gonna come back and someone’s gonna beat him again, I believe. When you take damage like this, you’re never gonna be the same. Never ever, even if you’re Tony Ferguson. He took too much damage.”