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Ilia Topuria loses his unbeaten record to Justin Gaethje on a historic night
Ilia Topuria is no longer undefeated. The Spanish-Georgian fighter lost to Justin Gaethje in one of the UFC's most surprising nights of the year, lost the lightweight belt and saw a perfect streak that had made him one of the sport's biggest stars come to a halt.
The fight was held in an unprecedented setting: the South Lawn of the White House, as part of the UFC Freedom 250 event. The image was already historic before the bell rang, but the result ended up turning the evening into a sporting earthquake.
Topuria started better and came to dominate the opening rounds with pressure, body shots and periods of control that seemed to bring him closer to another title defence. Gaethje, however, withstood the worst minutes and began to change the fight from the third round onwards.
The American found his range, punished with hard hands and wore Topuria down in an increasingly physical battle. The champion's face began to show the accumulated damage and the bout entered an uncomfortable phase for the previously unbeaten fighter.
After the fourth round, Topuria's team decided to stop the fight because of the punishment received and the fighter's condition. The ending left a difficult image for his supporters: Topuria wanted to continue, but his corner chose to protect him before a fifth round that could have worsened the damage still further.
With the victory, Justin Gaethje was crowned the undisputed UFC lightweight champion. For a fighter associated for years with spectacle, toughness and wars inside the octagon, the triumph represents the greatest moment of his career.
The defeat suddenly changes the narrative around Topuria. Until now, his rise had been explained through perfection: champion in two divisions, unbeaten and with an almost intimidating confidence. From now on, the question will be how he responds after the first major blow of his career.
The fall hurts because it comes at the moment of Topuria's greatest international exposure. But it also opens a new stage: that of a champion forced to rebuild, ask for a rematch and prove that one defeat does not erase everything he built to reach the top.