Ilia Topuria hospitalized after UFC Freedom 250 title loss to Justin Gaethje

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: Ilia Topuria of Spain reacts to his loss in the UFC lightweight championship fight against Justin Gaethje 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) The UFC White House card produced seven knockouts in seven fights, and that means a lot of the athletes who competed this past Sunday night are looking at potentially lengthy layoffs as a result. On Thursday, California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster shared the medical suspensions from the UFC White House card with MMA Fighting after he served as one of the regulators for the event for the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports. Both main event fighters, Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria, were handed six-month suspensions after they engaged in one of the most epic battles in recent history. Gaethje ultimately walked away victorious after he battered Topuria with punches, closing both of his eyes and blasting him with a knee to the body that led to his corner stopping the fight between the fourth and fifth rounds. As a result, Topuria was handed a 180-day suspension, or he has to be cleared by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon to compete any earlier. He was also handed a mandatory 60-day suspension with no exceptions. Meanwhile, Gaethje may have won, but he also received the same 180-day suspension, or he has to be cleared by a physician for a potential right wrist injury, as well as a left knee MRI for the damage absorbed during the fight. In the co-main event, Alex Pereira suffered a second-round knockout loss to Ciryl Gane in his heavyweight debut, and he’s also looking at a 180-day suspension as a result. To compete any earlier, Pereira has to receive a physician’s clearance from a maxillofacial CT scan. Pereira was handed a mandatory 45-day suspension due to his knockout loss. Here’s the full list of medical suspensions handed down from the UFC White House card: Justin Gaethje: 180-day suspension unless cleared for right wrist injury, MRI on left knee. 45-day mandatory suspension. Ilia Topuria: 180-day suspension unless cleared by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. 60-day mandatory suspension for knockout. Alex Pereira: 180-day suspension unless cleared by maxillofacial CT scan. 45-day mandatory suspension for knockout. Ciryl Gane: 8-day mandatory suspension to rest Sean O’Malley: 8-day mandatory suspension to rest Aiemann Zahabi: 180-day suspension unless cleared by maxillofacial CT scan. 45-day mandatory suspension for knockout. Josh Hokit: 8-day mandatory suspension to rest Derrick Lewis: 45-day mandatory suspension to rest after knockout Mauricio Ruffy: 8-day mandatory suspension to rest Michael Chandler: 45-day mandatory suspension for knockout Bo Nickal: 4-day mandatory suspension to rest Kyle Daukaus: 45-day mandatory suspension for knockout Diego Lopes: 30-day suspension unless cleared for left eye by physician Steve Garcia: 180-day suspension unless cleared for left hand injury with x-ray. 60-day mandatory suspension for knockout

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: Ilia Topuria of Spain checks his face 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 Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Ilia Topuria suffered a devastating defeat at UFC White House, and it could be a while before we see the former two-division champion in the octagon again. Spanish news site Marca reported Tuesday that Topuria was released from the hospital with non-displaced fractures in both orbital bones following his brutal stoppage loss to Justin Gaethje on Sunday. The news comes as no surprise to anyone who watched the fight, as Topuria badly bloodied and beaten en route to losing his 155-pound title to Gaethje when Topuria’s corner stopped the fight at the end of Round 4. Despite the damage, Topuria reportedly will not need surgery. However, there is no timetable set for his return, and the injuries clearly put his chances of another 2026 fight in jeopardy. Heading into UFC White House, Topuria was undefeated at 17-0 and looking to defend the lightweight title for the first time after winning it via a highlight-reel knockout over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June 2025. “El Matador” also previously held the featherweight title, knocking out Alexander Volkanovski to claim the belt, and then finishing Max Holloway in his lone title defense. He was heavily favored to defeat Gaethje. However, Gaethje drew Topuria into a back-and-forth standup battle, one that Topuria almost won as he stunned Gaethje with punches to the body in the second round. “The Highlight” recovered and went on to outlast Topuria, eventually forcing his team to throw in the towel due to the accumulated damage, with Topuria’s vision badly compromised. Topuria released a statement on social media following the loss in which he praised Gaethje and vowed to return for a rematch. Justin, congratulations. You said you’d leave your mark on my face… and you did. You took the sight from my right eye in the first round, and by the end of the second, from my left too. No excuses. I had one of the best camps of my life. I came in sharp, prepared, and ready. Last night was your night. That’s the nature of this game. Glory and pain walk side by side. I’ll heal. I’ll rest. And I’ll return stronger, wiser, and far more dangerous. And trust me… this story between us is far from over. We will have our rematch.

Ilia Topuria’s face got busted up by Justin Gaethje at UFC White House

Will Ilia Topuria be able to rebound after such a punishing loss to Justin Gaethje?

Ilia Topuria didn’t come out for the fifth round of his UFC 250 bout after taking heavy punishment through four rounds. Justin Gaethje left his opponent bloodied and with severe swelling around both eyes at the event, which took place at the White House on Sunday night.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: Ilia Topuria of Spain faces Justin Gaethje 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) Ilia Topuria is making no excuses for his loss to Justin Gaethje after absorbing a ton of damage before his coaches threw in the towel after the fourth round in the UFC White House main event. In his first statement since leaving the octagon and getting sent straight to the hospital for treatment, the now former UFC lightweight champion paid homage to Gaethje for a job well done. Prior to the fight, Gaethje promised he was going to dish out a whole lot of punishment and Topuria admitted afterwards that’s exactly what happened. “Justin, congratulations. You said you’d leave your mark on my face… and you did,” Topuria wrote on Instagram. “You took the sight from my right eye in the first round, and by the end of the second, from my left too. “No excuses. I had one of the best camps of my life. I came in sharp, prepared, and ready. Last night was your night. That’s the nature of this game. Glory and pain walk side by side.” View this post on Instagram Topuria got off to a fast start and nearly scored a finish in the second round but Gaethje gutted his way through a tough situation to survive until the final horn. On the restart in the third, Gaethje completely took over, dropping Topuria to the canvas and busting up both of his eyes to the point where the ringside physician nearly stopped the contest. The fight continued and Topuria found his second wind but he was still eating a lot of shots as Gaethje just kept coming after him in every exchange. In the final second of the fourth round, Gaethje blasted Topuria with a huge knee to the ribs on the ground. Topuria hobbled back to his corner and his coaches saw enough to stop the fight to prevent him from any further harm. The fight served as the first loss of Topuria’s career. While he didn’t reveal the nature of any injuries suffered in the fight, Topuria vowed to come back better when he’s cleared to fight again and he obviously hopes to cross paths with Gaethje in the future. “I’ll heal. I’ll rest. And I’ll return stronger, wiser, and far more dangerous,” Topuria said. “And trust me… this story between us is far from over. We will have our rematch.”

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 Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Justin Gaethje knew he was going to have to walk through hell to become undisputed champion at UFC White House, but Ilia Topuria made it sound like he was about to have an easy night at the office. Prior to the fight, Topuria promised a first-round finish and even went as far as saying he would put Gaethje away inside two minutes. While Topuria did come out guns blazing in the opening round, Gaethje not only survived, but started dishing out the punishment by the third round. Ultimately, Topuria absorbed so much damage that his coaches threw in the towel and stopped the fight after the fourth round. After Topuria made such a bold prediction and then lost in dramatic fashion, Gaethje can’t help but wonder what’s next for Topuria in his career. “I am such a huge fan of this kid but where do you go from here?” Gaethje said on the UFC White House post-fight show. “It’s going to be a very tough climb back. I’ve never had the mindset he had. I never thought of myself as unbeatable or infallible. I said it from day one, I’m going to get knocked out with the way I fight, with how crazy this sport is. “I don’t want to say anything bad about this guy. He was a world champion and I seized my opportunity to take it from him. But he is in the hospital right now and I’m not.” Gaethje recognized right away that Topuria was in for a rough night after he blasted the now-former lightweight champion with an uppercut during an early exchange that opened a cut around his eye. With blood trickling down Topuria’s face, Gaethje noticed he was constantly paying attention to the cut and that let him know this was something his opponent had never experienced before. “He’s such a pretty boy that he was so concerned about the blood immediately,” Gaethje said. “I hit him with the uppercut, he’s bleeding and he started touching it over and over and over. “He’s so f*cking dangerous. I don’t know how I stayed away from some of those shots. He definitely rocked me but I just kept telling myself to trust my abilities, not be emotional.” After surviving a late submission attempt in the second round, Gaethje saw a dramatic switch in Topuria in the third round and that’s when he took over the fight. “What I felt was in the third round, I kept jabbing the shit out of him,” Gaethje said. “The plan was do not lead with jabs until he finds his back foot. “As soon as he finds his back foot, he’s not going to be as explosive. He’s not going to be as dangerous. He’s not dangerous off his back foot.” In the end, Gaethje dished out so much punishment that Topuria couldn’t continue and his coaches didn’t want to see him absorb any further harm after a brutal ending to the fourth round. While Topuria was undefeated prior to Sunday night and ranked as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. Gaethje doesn’t expect to see him again any time soon. In some instances champions are granted an immediate rematch after a loss but Gaethje sees no need for that. Of course, Gaethje is still contemplating his own future after finally achieving his dream by becoming an undisputed UFC champion but he doesn’t expect to face Topuria again no matter what. “I would say definitely not a rematch,” Gaethje said about Topuria. “I made him quit on the stool. I think it was three to one. I won three rounds to one. In any election, that’s a domination.”

Ilia Topuria may have suffered several potential injuries after a brutal fight with Justin Gaethje

Dana White says the UFC insisted on Ilia Topuria going to the hospital as soon as his fight ended with Justin Gaethje.

Ilia Topuria’s first UFC loss was a brutal one.

Better to be safe than sorry … Now-former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria suffered a technical knockout loss via corner stoppage at the hands — and fists — of Justin Gaethje last night (Sun., June 14, 2026) at UFC Freedom 250 live on Paramount+ on the South Lawn in Washington, D.C., as […]