Islam Makhachev did not waste time reacting after Ilia Topuria suffered the first defeat of his professional MMA career at UFC Freedom 250. The historic event ended with Justin Gaethje becoming the new UFC lightweight champion after a dominant performance against the previously unbeaten star.
Topuria entered the fight as the favorite and was expected to defend his title successfully. Instead, Gaethje delivered a striking masterclass over four rounds. The American repeatedly landed heavy shots and left visible damage on Topuria’s face. The fight ended before the fifth round when Topuria’s corner decided he could no longer continue. Soon after the result, Makhachev took aim at his former rival with a sharp response on social media.
Islam Makhachev Finally Responds After Ilia Topuria’s Downfall
The rivalry between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria has been building for a long time. Last year, after Makhachev defeated Jack Della Maddalena to capture UFC gold in a second weight class, Topuria publicly criticized him. The Spanish-Georgian fighter claimed that Makhachev lacked excitement and suggested he would eventually finish him if they ever met inside the Octagon.
Makhachev appeared to remember those comments. Following Topuria’s defeat at UFC Freedom 250, the Russian champion posted a message suggesting that fighters who place themselves above others are eventually brought back down. He also praised Gaethje for the victory and said the American had earned the championship through years of hard work and dedication.
The former lightweight king did not stop there. Referring to the ending of the fight, Makhachev took a sly dig and wrote that walking away from a championship bout before the final round is a difficult decision that very few fighters are willing to make.
One fan replied to Makhachev's tweet and wrote, "Congrats Islam, you found an excuse to duck Ilia". Another wrote, "your time will come". A third fan wrote, "Justin Gaethje would do that to you too", while one wrote, "Topuria checking Twitter after waking up".
Gaethje’s victory was one of the biggest surprises of the year. Official statistics and judges’ scorecards reflected how one-sided the contest had become. Between rounds four and five, Topuria remained on his stool while his team informed referee Marc Goddard that the fight would not continue.
The defeat dropped Topuria from the ranks of unbeaten fighters for the first time in his career. Meanwhile, Gaethje improved his professional record to 28 wins and five losses while finally securing the undisputed lightweight title.
UFC Freedom 250 also gave several other memorable finishes. Every fight on the seven-bout card ended by knockout or stoppage. Ciryl Gane defeated Alex Pereira, Sean O’Malley stopped Aiemann Zahabi, and Mauricio Ruffy delivered a devastating first-round finish against Michael Chandler.
