Topuria loses to Gaethje in brutal UFC setback

Ilia Topuria suffered his first loss and gave up his belt to Justin Gaethje after a brutal fight reported Monday morning, June 15, 2026, in a UFC event he had hoped to win in front of Donald Trump at the White House. Instead, Topuria was beaten badly, left almost unrecognizable, and his corner asked for the bout to be stopped because of heavy facial bleeding and severe swelling.

Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo described it as a crushing night for Topuria, saying he had to retire after being completely broken and that he was forced to learn his limits in the cage. The paper called it the bitterest moment of his career so far. SER was even harsher, writing that his game plan was poor from the opening bell, that Gaethje outperformed him in every metric, and that he humiliated him.

The defeat was especially stark because Topuria had spent the eve of the fight celebrating with friends at a restaurant. During those celebrations he said, “Tomorrow is not a win we need to achieve, it is a win that is already ours.” More than a month earlier, during a meeting with Trump at the White House, he also boasted, “Why are you giving your friend (Gaethje) the toughest test?!”