Gaethje stops Topuria, Gane KOs Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House

WASHINGTON — On the White House lawn, UFC Freedom 250 delivered a night of finishes — and a massive shake-up at lightweight. In the main event, American Justin Gaethje pulled off a stunning win over Spain’s Ilia Topuria to claim the UFC lightweight title. Gaethje had to survive early trouble, and by the end of the second round he appeared to be on the brink of a stoppage loss. But in Round 3, he flipped the fight, badly hurting Topuria and shifting the momentum in dramatic fashion. Topuria managed to recover enough to answer the bell for the fourth round, but after the damage he absorbed, his corner would not allow him to come out for the fifth. In the co-main event, Ciryl Gane knocked out Alex Pereira in the second round. The French heavyweight looked faster and sharper throughout, while Pereira never fully adjusted to the move up in weight. Gane reclaimed the interim title, while Pereira fell short in his bid to become the first three-division champion in UFC history. Also on the card, Sean O’Malley knocked out Aiemann Zahabi, Hokit stopped Derrick Lewis, Mauricio Ruffy finished Michael Chandler, Bo Nickal knocked out Kyle Daukaus and Diego Lopes stopped Garcia. For the first time in UFC history, every fight on the card ended by knockout. Photo: UFC social media