WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 14: Justin Gaethje strikes Ilia Topuria of Spain in the UFC lightweight championship fight during the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn at the White House on June 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Zuffa LLC
The UFC Freedom 25o card at the White House had seven fights — and everyone of them ended in a TKO or KO.
At the end of the day, two new champions were crowned and none bigger than Justin Gaethje who pulled a monumental upset victory over Ilia Topuria to become the new UFC lightweight champion.
Gaethje earned one of the $425,000 Performance of the Night Bonuses and another $400,000 for the Fight of the Night bonus with Topuria. It was an amazing fight and an even better performance from Gaethje.
Topuria had his moments. It looked like Topuria might get the finish in the second round. He’d landed some crushing body shots and nearly got the submission win moments later, but Gaethje survived.
In the third round, Gaethje looked like the fresher fighter and he took advantage. He dropped Topuria and nearly got the finish early. Topuria had a good fourth round, but he took more damage to his eyes and that led to the corner stopping the fight.
Here is a look at Gaethje’s post-fight interview.
In the co-main event, Ciryl Gane shut down Alex Pereira’s attempt to become a three-division champion. The Frenchman became a two-time interim UFC heavyweight champion after scoring a second-round TKO win over Pereira.
Gane was the faster man and he stayed away from Pereira’s counterpunch attempts. After landing a power jab, Gane pounded Pereira until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight.
Here is a look at all of the results from a historic night of mixed martial arts. Also, here is a look at all of the finishes.
- Justin Gaethje def. Ilia Topuria via fifth-round TKO (corner stoppage) New UFC Lightweight champion
- Ciryl Gane def. Alex Pereira via second-round TKO (new UFC interim heavyweight champion)
- Sean O’Malley def. Aieman Zahabi via second-round KO
- Josh Hokit def. Derrick Lewis via second-round TKO
- Mauricio Ruffy def. Michael Chandler via first-round TKO
- Bo Nickal def. Kyle Daukaus via first-round TKO
- Diego Lopes def. Steve Garcia via second-round KO
The other POTN bonus went to O’Malley. His walk-off KO and salute delivered punishing power and style. Lopes and Gane could have easily earned the record-high bonus, but O’Malley got the nod.
At least Lopes, Nickal, Ruffy, Hokit and Gane all earned bonuses for winning by finish.