The Octagon touched down on the South Garden of the White Home because the UFC took middle stage in Washington, D.C. for a particular one-time occasion, “UFC Freedom 250.”
Here is an influence rating of the highest 5 greatest winners of the evening at UFC Freedom 250.
UFC Freedom 250 Energy Rankings
1. Justin Gaethje
Just one particular person will probably be within the high spot this week. Justin Gaethje at all times places on thrilling, fan-friendly performances, however at White Home he scored the most important spotlight win of his profession by defeating undefeated Ilya Topuria to unify the light-weight titles at “The Spotlight.”
Gaethje was closely underdogs heading into his bout with Topuria, however the odds would have gotten even higher because the Spanish champion got here near ending Gaethje within the second spherical and recording his first protection of the 155-pound title.
Nonetheless, Gaethje was product of stronger fighters and fought by way of the ache wall, finally turning the tables on the highest rear and pushing his nook to drag him out of the battle after the fourth spherical.
This implies Gaethje has lastly achieved undisputed champion standing and secured a hefty double bonus payout within the course of.
2. Cyril Acquire
France’s Cyril Gane returned to the heavyweight division with a second-round TKO over former middleweight and light-weight heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, returning to the interim heavyweight title.
A lot consideration was targeted on Pereira’s punching energy and whether or not his knockout contact with MMA gloves would translate to heavyweight. Nonetheless, because the battle progressed, it was Gane who was touchdown the leather-based extra usually and precisely, because the Frenchman loved a really encouraging first spherical.
Gane then caught up within the second spherical, hitting a giant shot with “Poatan” and eventually stopping it 87 seconds into the second spherical.
It was a giant win for Gane, who wrapped the championship belt round his waist and solidified his place because the clear primary contender within the division, the place he’ll face Tom Aspinall, with the British fighter getting back from surgical procedure on each eyes later this yr.
It appears probably {that a} title unification match with Gane will happen within the UK or Paris, France.
3. Josh Hawkitt
His post-fight feedback about Michelle Obama might have been the one actual unfavorable on an amazing evening for the UFC, however regardless of his polarizing strategy to interviews and battle promotion, there is not any debate contained in the Octagon about Josh Hokit’s expertise.
Hokit confronted knockout artist and former title challenger Derrick Lewis and calmly drew away together with his putting, finally claiming a second spherical TKO stoppage. His grappling may have some adjustment – his armbar try seemed good on digicam however wasn’t utilized accurately to power a faucet from Lewis – however that apart, Hokit’s efficiency was nothing in need of nice.
Contemplating Pereira misplaced to Gane on the identical card and Hokit trash-talked “Poitin” all through the lead-up to this occasion, a matchup between the pair makes plenty of sense, and it would not be a shock to see the pair meet on a numbered UFC battle card later this yr.
4. Sean O’Malley
Sean O’Malley took the shot and made it occur. In a pre-fight interview, “The Suga Present” talked about visualizing touchdown the fight-ending punch after which punctuating the walk-off victory with a salute. Surprisingly, that is precisely how the battle towards Ayeman Zahavi unfolded.
O’Malley stays one of the crucial thrilling fan favorites within the UFC, and his win places him proper again within the championship dialog at 135 kilos. O’Malley earned his first likelihood on the bantamweight title by defeating Petr Yan, and now that Yan is the reigning champion, O’Malley desires a rematch with “No Mercy” and after such a win, he is within the ranks to get simply that.
5. Mauricio Ruffy
Brazil’s Mauricio Ruffy continues to achieve expertise within the UFC and develop right into a championship contender at 155 kilos, transferring up one other weight division on Sunday evening by defeating former Bellator light-weight champion and former UFC title challenger Michael Chandler.
Luffy’s beautiful blows proved an excessive amount of for Chandler, and he linked with a wheel kick to the pinnacle adopted by a blow to say the primary spherical end.
Luffy made the big day much more particular by proposing to his girlfriend – apparently she mentioned sure – however from a profession standpoint, his victory over Chandler gave Luffy the chance to face a better ranked opponent subsequent time.
