It was Justin Gaethje doing Justin Gaethje things in the main event of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House on Sunday.
The spectacle of spectacles, the most expensive show the UFC has ever produced, and one of the most anticipated fight cards of all time delivered and then some on the action front. If you could look past the political connotations of hosting a first-ever professional sporting event on the White House south lawn, on U.S. President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday no less, it was a wildly entertaining ride. Seven finishes in seven fights, but one man stole the show above all else: Justin Gaethje.
The most violent man in MMA history is known as “The Highlight” for a reason, but it wasn’t a highlight reel finish he earned on Sunday. Rather, in his lightweight title unification bout, Gaethje put a demoralizing beatdown on Ilia Topuria, an undefeated two-division champion who had boldly claimed ahead of the fight that he would stop the American within the first round.
That prediction did not come to pass, and it was Topuria leaving the first round visibly damaged. While he rallied in the second frame, the third round belonged to Gaethje, and the damage piled up even more in the fourth. By the time Gaethje had landed a massive knee to the ribs of Topuria at round’s end, the writing was on the wall. Already checked over by a doctor following the third frame, Topuria could not continue past the fourth. It went down, officially, as a corner stoppage. Unofficially, Justin Gaethje broke the previously undefeated “El Matador.”
For Gaethje, after failed attempts to claim undisputed gold against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira, it’s the culmination of years of hard work. His career, from World Series of Fighting (a precursor to the PFL) champion to the UFC, where he twice won interim titles as well as the promotion’s symbolic “BMF” title, has been must-see television.
True to history, Gaethje even doubled up on bonus money at UFC Freedom 250. UFC CEO and President Dana White announced following the event that Topuria vs. Gaethje earned Fight of the Night, while the UFC’s newly crowned undisputed champion also claimed one of two Performance of the Night bonuses. It’s not the first time Justin Gaethje has doubled up on bonuses, but this time out, he pockets $825,000.
The lightweight star now has 17 post-fight bonuses in 16 UFC fights.
Ciryl Gane, who knocked out Alex Pereira in the heavyweight debut of “Poatan,” a former middleweight and light heavyweight champion, earned the other Performance bonus.
Performance of the Night bonuses at the White House card were worth $425,000, while Fight of the Night earned $400,000, in a one-off upping of the bonuses thanks in part to corporate partnerships.
The remaining five winners on the card will take home $25,000 finishing bonuses. Those fighters are made up of Diego Lopes, Bo Nickal, Mauricio Ruffy, Josh Hokit, and Sean O’Malley. No fight went the distance on Sunday.
Update: Dana White initially said no finishing bonuses were awarded at the White House during Sunday’s post-fight press conference, but later corrected himself.
