Conor McGregor, Arman Tsarukyan, Jake Paul, and Others React to Ilia Topuria’s Upset Loss to Justin Gaethje

-550 Ilia Topuria and +400 Justin Gaethje. Those were the odds for the main event of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House South Lawn before the fight began on Sunday night. But after it did, ‘The Highlight’ made it clear that he wasn’t going down without a fight. And by the end of the bout, fans had the biggest upset in recent years in their hands. 

In the first round, Gaethje’s jab and uppercut game found consistent success early, but Topuria answered with heavy right hands and relentless pressure. The round ended in a wild back-and-forth brawl with both men landing big shots, but ‘The Highlight’ clearly had the upper hand. However, round two changed that narrative. 

Ilia Topuria took control behind a sharp jab and devastating body attack, eventually dropping Gaethje and dominating on the ground with mounts, submission threats, and sustained pressure. The challenger, however, survived the round by the skin of his teeth. Round three saw the momentum swing again in Gaethje’s favor.

‘The Highlight’ hurt Topuria with crisp one-twos, nearly securing a D’Arce choke, and repeatedly punishing the champion with jabs, uppercuts, and knees. By the end of this round, Topuria’s face was a bloodied mess, with his eyes shutting down. With his vision compromised, the cageside doctor stepped in to evaluate Topuria. 

Following an extended assessment and consultation, the fight continued, effectively giving Topuria an extra minute to rest on his stool. But that wasn’t enough. Despite Topuria’s damaged condition, the fighters traded fiercely in another brutal round. Gaethje’s striking continued to batter Topuria, and a crushing late knee to the body concluded things.

After going to his corner at the end of the fourth round, Topuria retired on the stool, making ‘The Highlight’ the new undisputed lightweight champion. Even though Topuria’s brother wanted the fight to continue, one of Topuria’s cornermen put an end to the fight. While Gaethje improved to 28-5, Ilia Topuria suffered his first career loss, dropping to 17-1.

According to Joe Rogan, the Spaniard may have suffered an orbital fracture from the looks of his injuries. He was transported to a hospital to a local hospital for a precautionary CT scan. In the meantime, Justin Gaethje celebrated his win with his family. Speaking to Joe Rogan, he declined to reveal whether he would return to defend his title, leaving his future in the sport uncertain.

This is the first time Justin Gaethje has become a full champion in the promotion, despite having a highly decorated resume. He became the interim lightweight champion by beating Tony Ferguson via fifth-round TKO at UFC 249 in May 2020. His second run as an interim champion came when he defeated Paddy Pimblett in January, winning a title shot against Ilia Topuria.

Even though many had counted him out, Gaethje’s determined and wild fighting style was always going to cause issues for ‘El Matador.’ Fans and experts just refused to believe it could happen, thanks to Topuria’s last three bouts, where he defeated Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira. 

But now that he has suffered his first loss, the vultures have come out to pick at his wounds. 

Ilia Topuria gets shredded by critics and rivals

Arman Tsarukyan mocked Topuria. “So we’re giving [an] extra minute to recover now lol?” he asked before adding, “Ilia ‘no mas’ Topuria .” Tsarukyan, of course, was snubbed for a title shot against the Spaniard. And Topuria had refused to face Arman.

Meanwhile, Conor McGregor chimed in. He wrote, “Aw ye!” ‘The Mac’ used to fight in the lightweight division and even became the champion. More importantly, though, Topuria is often criticized for trying to mimic McGregor. 

Jake Paul mocked Topuria by comparing him to a dummy. And later added, “Let’s go, America. Justin Gaethje is a beast. Lillia such a h–e for quitting on his stool.” He also wrote, “Not even worth sparring that tiny boy.” Topuria and Jake Paul were beefing at one point after exchanging words during an Adin Ross live stream. Paul had even invited Topuria for a sparring session.

Jamahal Hill also came out of the woodwork. He posted: “USA in this h–e. Congrats, JG made us all eat our words!!!” He later added, “This is the best Justin has ever looked!!!” It’s yet to be seen whether the pair ends up in a rematch. 

Henry Cejudo also penned a message. He wrote: “What a fight by Gaethje!!! Made the fight his and took Ilia to a place he was unfamiliar with .” Ilia Topuria has never been hurt the way ‘The Highlight’ hurt him on Sunday night. 

Jiri Prochazka compared the bout to a story. He claimed, “That fight was a beautiful story. Really inspirational performance from both. Congratulations to Justin .” Justin Gaethje now finds himself at the top of the division after just one fight. 

From the looks of things, Justin Gaethje has managed to prove everyone wrong by dominating the scariest dude in the division. But only time will tell how long ‘The Highlight’ will remain at the top.  

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