American Justin Gaethje pulled off a shocking upset, defeating Ilia Topuria to claim the UFC lightweight crown at the UFC Freedom 250 event held on the lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C.

After Topuria (17-1) edged a thrilling first two rounds, Gaethje (28-5) stunned the Spaniard with a crunching right hand followed by a brutal flurry of jabs that left his opponent’s face swollen and bloodied.

Topuria appeared to have trouble seeing and was checked by a doctor before continuing through the fourth round, but his corner threw in the towel before the final round.

“I cannot even believe it. … I knew I was going to have to get through the first round. His skills are unmatched when he’s fresh,” Gaethje said. “But my durability, my tenacity and my heart were going to carry me through.”

The bout headlined the first professional sporting event hosted at the White House, a key part of President Donald Trump’s celebrations of the nation’s 250th anniversary and his 80th birthday.

In the co-main event, France’s Ciryl Gane dominated Brazil’s Alex Pereira before scoring a stunning second-round knockout win to become the interim UFC heavyweight champion.

Sean O’Malley defeated Aiemann Zahabi with a walk-off knockout, putting himself back into bantamweight title contention. Josh Hokit continued his rise by finishing Derrick Lewis in the second round, improving to 10-0.

Source: www.aljazeera.com