Gaethje stops Topuria in R4 to win undisputed UFC lightweight title
Justin Gaethje defeated heavily favored Ilia Topuria, who retired on his stool at the end of Round 4, to become the undisputed UFC lightweight champion.
Andreas Hale Jun 15, 2026, 01:35 AM ET Close Andreas Hale is a combat sports reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and pro wrestling. In Andreas' free time, he plays video games, obsesses over music and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He is also a host for Sirius XM's Fight Nation. Before joining ESPN, Andreas was a senior writer at DAZN and Sporting News. He started his career as a music journalist for outlets including HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z's Life+Times. He is also an NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker as a producer for the animated short film "Bridges" in 2024. Follow on X
_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/49068660/gaethje-bucks-odds-topples-topuria-ufc-lightweight-title)._
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