After four rounds of getting battered at UFC Freedom 250, former undefeated lightweight champion Ilia Topuria was upset in shocking fashion by Justin Gaethje.
The American fighter showed no mercy to the Georgian-Spanish fighter dubbed “El Matador.” In front of Donald Trump and many White House personnel, Topuria’s corner was forced to throw the towel in after their fighter’s face was brutally damaged from repeated Gaethje blows.
While it was already brutal for Topuria’s undefeated record to earn its first tally in the loss column, the way he lost his title was brutal to watch.
Check out the damage El Matador suffered in his shock defeat to the American.
MORE: Full results, highlights from UFC Freedom 250
Ilia Topuria face before and after
The final main event on the White House lawn gave MMA fans everything they had hoped for and more. Everyone except Topuria walked away from the event in awe as the heavy underdog in Gaethje pulled out the TKO victory between the fourth and the fifth round.
While Topuria’s brother, one of the members of the fighters’ coaching staff, urged his brother to finish the fight, El Matador was shut down from continuing after receiving vast damage to his face. Fans were shocked to be virtually unable to recognize the Georgian-Spanish fighter when Gaethje was done with him.
Here is Topuria’s face before and after the opening bell went off in Washington, D.C.
🚨TRENDING: Ilia Topuria’s face before and after fighting Justin Gaethje 😳 pic.twitter.com/zWwr5vORUw
— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) June 15, 2026
Here are the full highlights from the Topuria vs. Gaethje championship bout:
MORE: How UFC Freedom 250 card made history with perfect knockout rate
Ilia Topuria injury updates
In the final round before the main event was called off, eagle-eyed viewers noticed a bone protruding under the skin of Topuria’s face. After the fight, UFC CEO and President Dana White shared updates with the media. Here is what White said:
🚨 Dana White says Ilia Topuria is in the hospital right now, and believes he has a broken orbital bone 😳
“He’s busted up. My plans for him are to go home and rest, take his time. Tonight was a rough night for him.” pic.twitter.com/y3ox7hqGfG
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 15, 2026
“Ilya’s in the hospital. He’s busted up,” said White. “I’m not a doctor, but his eye looked like he probably has a broken orbital.”
White wants the former undefeated fighter to rest up and fully recover before entering the cage again.
“My plans for him are to go home and rest and recover and take his time. Tonight was a rough night for him.”
This section will be updated when more updates are shared.
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