UFC 250 at the White House: Recap and highlights of historic fight night
Sensational winner Justin Gaethje at the White House (photo: instagram.com/ufc)
On the night of June 15, the capital of the United States hosted a unique sporting event — the UFC White House: Freedom 250 tournament, held right next to the White House in the presence of Donald Trump and star guests. The main event of the year delivered two title fights, sensational knockouts, and a complete shift in dominance in the lightweight and heavyweight divisions.
The main results and dramatic outcomes of brutal fights are covered by RBC-Ukraine.
Gaethje’s triumph and Topuria’s failure
UFC Freedom 250. Main event. Lightweight title fight
Justin Gaethje (Australia/USA) defeated Ilia Topuria (Spain/Georgia) by TKO (corner stoppage, Round 4)
The main fight of the evening ended in a massive upset. Dominant champion Ilia Topuria was making his first lightweight title defense against 37-year-old veteran Justin Gaethje.
Already in the opening round, the American damaged his opponent’s eye, but in the second five-minute round, Topuria regained momentum, dropping Gaethje with heavy body shots.
The key moment came in the third round, when Gaethje managed to catch the champion, knocking him down and turning Topuria’s face into a bloody mess. Due to severe swelling, doctors barely allowed Ilia to continue into the fourth round. Topuria bravely fought for another five minutes, but his corner refused to let him out for the final round — the fighter’s own brother threw in the white towel.
Gaethje, on his third attempt in his career, became a full UFC champion, handing Topuria his first-ever professional defeat.
Gaethje defeated Topuria (photo: instagram.com/ufc)
Ciryl Gane beats Alex Pereira to win interim title
UFC Freedom 250. Co-main event. Interim heavyweight title fight
Ciryl Gane (France) defeated Alex Pereira (Brazil) by TKO (Round 2)
In the second most significant fight of the evening, French heavyweight Ciryl Gane crushed Alex Pereira’s dream of becoming the first fighter in UFC history to win titles in three weight divisions.
Gane fully controlled the bout and, in the second round delivered a brutal finishing sequence against the Brazilian. The referee stopped the fight, declaring a technical knockout. This marks the second time in his career that Gane has captured the interim heavyweight title.
Parade of early finishes: main card results
Alongside the title fights, fans witnessed five more high-impact matchups, each ending in a spectacular knockout:
Flyweight division: Former champion Sean O’Malley returned to winning form, scoring an impressive second-round knockout over Ayman Zahabi.
Heavyweight division: Undefeated prospect Josh Hokit created a major upset by knocking out veteran Derrick Lewis in the second round.
Lightweight division: Brazilian knockout artist Mauricio Ruffi left no chance for Michael Chandler, “turning off the lights” in the very first round.
Middleweight division: Rising star Bo Nickal continued his dominant run, outclassing and knocking out Kyle Daukaus within the opening minutes of the fight.
Featherweight division: Diego Lopes confirmed his favorite status, handling Steve Garcia and finishing him by knockout in the second round.
