Justin Gaethje and Ciryl Gane take home belts at one-of-a-kind UFC Freedom 250

The fighters brought fireworks to the South Lawn of the White House.With the iconic edifice as a backdrop, Justin Gaethje and Ciryl Gane went home from Washington with championship gold around their waists to close out one-of-a-kind UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday night.Gaethje stunned previously unbeaten Ilia Topuria to unify the lightweight title in a wild main event as Topuria’s corner threw in the proverbial towel following the fourth round, following Gane’s second-round victory over Alex Pereira to capture the vacant interim heavyweight belt.The pair of bombastic endings to the title fights capped an all-knockout affair in the nation’s capital, with the president’s residence as a backdrop and the athletes entering the cage via the corridors of the landmark.

Both Topuria and Gaethje began their respective walkouts from the Oval Office, walking past the portraits of every U.S.president along the way.The main event played out as a bloody war, with a rally by the new champion the likes of which Knicks fans had become accustomed to throughout their march to the NBA title.“I’m from America; 250 years ago, we were way bigger than 6-to-1 ’dogs, and look at us thriving now,” Gaethje said in the cage afterward.A stinging straight right was Topuria’s most effective weapon early, though Gaethje bloodied his foe’s right eyebrow in a competitive opening round.

Fists flew furiously from both men over the final minute, with Topuria gaining steam after the American’s early success.Topuria’s greater focus on body punches made a difference by the midway point of the second, ripping to the liver and weathering a bloodied nose to put the pressure on Gaethje.A liver shot dropped Topuria, allowing Topuria to mount and nearly sell out for an armbar submission on two occasions in a dominant round.But Topuria slowed considerably in the third, as Gaethje scored with the jab to claw back into it.

Then came the fight-changing overhand right hand that dropped Topuria, l...