Ilia Topuria's Face Was Unrecognizable as Justin Gaethje Wins Upset TKO at UFC White House
Justin Gaethje pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history after a gutsy TKO performance against Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn. Gaethje is now the undisputed UFC lightweight champion of the world after dethroning the former champion, Topuria.
Gaethje was a massive underdog heading into the fight, but he weathered the storm and rallied back in rounds three and four, forcing Topuria's team to throw in the towel before the fifth and final round due to the damage sustained to his face.
Topuria Nearly Finished a Round Earlier
Gaethje was able to sustain his cardio as Topuria faded in the latter half of the fight. "The Highlight" was able to rock Topuria with a right hand in the third round:
JUSTIN GAETHJE JUST DROPPED ILIA TOPURIA IN ROUND 3
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) June 15, 2026
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He would go on to continuously damage Topuria's face with well-placed punches that caused serious tissue damage, which almost caused the doctor to call off the fight in between the third and fourth rounds.
It's unclear whether the doctor changed his mind or if referee Marc Godard was able to override the doctor's initial evaluation, as Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan continued to yell into their mics, making it difficult to parse what was being said:
THIS FIGHT IS GOING ON TO ROUND 4!!!
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) June 15, 2026
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Immediately after the fight, Gaethje even commented on how he sustained far less cosmetic damage:
"Look at my face! I got some thick-a- skin, something's wrong with my face. It needs to be studied," he told the crowd.
Gaethje even believed that Topuria was bothered by the bleeding and scarring (via UFC on Paramount+ on X):
Justin Gaethje could handle the deep water
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) June 15, 2026
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"He's such a pretty boy," Gaethje remarked in a post-fight interview with the UFC analyst desk. "He was so concerned about the blood so immediately."
"I hit him with the uppercut, he's bleeding, and he's touching it over and over and over," Gaethje said.
The Danger of Topuria
Despite suffering the TKO upset loss, Topuria did not make it easy on Gaethje, who admitted "El Matador" caught him with powerful punches to the head in addition to dropping him with heavy hooks and uppercuts to the body. Topuria even nearly finished him with a triangle in the second round.
"He's so f- dangerous, you know. I don't know how I stayed away from some of those shots," Gaethje added, complimenting Topuria's vaunted power and top-notch skills.
"The Highlight" is as tough as they come, however, and was able to mentally adjust while staying in physical form.
"He definitely rocked me, but I just kept telling myself to just trust my abilities," he continued.
That resolve was in Gaethje's mind before he even stepped into the cage.
"I was just trying to focus on how I was going to be perfect, how I was going to dig deep, and the style of fight that I needed to fight to beat a guy like that," he told the analyst crew. "[Topuria] is so dangerous, and he hurt me bad... he hurt me in the first round. He definitely smoked my liver in the second."
He also revealed how he was able to survive the triangle and armbar attempts from Topuria.
"I've been working so hard on my jiu-jitsu, and that's what kept me calm in the chaos and got me through to the third round."
With Topuria suffering his first loss, it will be interesting to see whether or not he will come back in better form or if the damage he took from Gaethje will affect him for years to come.
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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 3:00 AM.