Gaethje stops Topuria at UFC White House, Pereira fails
Justin Gaethje stopped Ilia Topuria at UFC White House on Sunday night, claiming the undisputed lightweight title when Topuria's corner threw in the towel after the fourth round.
The performance capped the most historic card of the year, MMA Fighting reported, with Gaethje battering the previously unbeaten featherweight champion-turned-lightweight challenger in front of fans on the White House grounds. "He is in the hospital right now and I'm not," Gaethje said afterward, per MMA Fighting, responding to Topuria's pre-fight prediction of a first-round knockout.
Pereira's three-division bid falls short at White House
Alex Pereira failed in his attempt to become a three-division champion on the same card. The former middleweight and heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight titleholder came up short in his bid for heavyweight gold, though details of his opponent and finish were not immediately available. Ciryl Gane delivered his best performance in years, and Sean O'Malley returned to form after a rough stretch.
Gaethje earned an extra $825,000 in bonus money for the main event win, bringing his total disclosed payout to over $1 million for the evening. The victory marks the crown jewel in the career of the most exciting fighter to ever step into a cage, as MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew put it in his post-fight breakdown.
The UFC has not announced Gaethje's first title defense. Topuria remains hospitalized as of Monday morning.
Original reporting:
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