Justin Gaethje caused one of the most shocking upsets in MMA history last Sunday at the White House. The two-time interim champion finally captured undisputed gold in the UFC Freedom 250 main event by handing Ilia Topuria his first-ever MMA loss.
Following his victory, Gaethje was lauded by many for his performance, but top MMA insider Ariel Helwani also praised the American's walkout.
The production for Sunday's White House card was elite from top to bottom. UFC CEO Dana White had thickly laid on the hype prior to the card by saying it would be a travesty if the promotion didn't sweep all the productions awards. In the end, the event lived up to the hype and then some with every fighter being afforded a top-notch entrance.
The main event, however, was a cut above the rest as both Topuria and Gaethje made their way to octagon in the South Lawn from the Oval Office. The 'Highlight' walked out to a beautiful live rendition of Johnny Cash's 'Ain't No Grave' as the American crowd cheered their local hero. Veteran journalist Ariel Helwani recently singled out this entrance as one of the greatest ever on his YouTube show.
I went back and watched Justin Gaethje's walkout with a clear head last night. I don't know if there will ever be a greater walkout than that in the history of fighting… For him as the American to walk out like that and win and pull off one of the great upsets against this undefeated guy, I don't know if this is going to be topped.
Ariel Helwani via YouTubeJustin Gaethje's performances will definitely go down in history as one of the greatest performances by an underdog. Not only did the 'Highlight' become the oldest UFC lightweight champion ever, he finished the undefeated Ilia Topuria to do so. The fact that it was preceded by the aforementioned walkout only added to the pomp and circumstance of the moment.
However, while the American was in the Oval Office awaiting his cue to walkout, he wasn't going over his secret plan to beat the Georgian-Spanish fighter. Instead, the 37-year-old was busy admiring a seminal piece of US history.
Walking out to the UFC octagon is rarely a simple task, even for seasoned names. Many fighters have spoken about the pressure that comes with the moment, and some have admitted to feeling it long before the first punch is thrown. Just recently, UFC cutman Brad Tate described Joshua Van as being visibly nervous ahead of his UFC debut as the event he was competing in was underway.
Despite facing the biggest fight of his life at the White House, Justin Gaethje was not feeling the pressure like most fighters. Instead, the two-time interim champion could not look away from the US Declaration of Independence while in the Oval Office. The American lightweight champion admitted to being transfixed to it despite not understanding some of the document's contents.
Yeah, it was pretty crazy looking at the Declaration of Independence, the original one, and their language was different. I'm not smart enough to read that. Yeah, it was really cool seeing all the portraits of the presidents.
Justin Gaethje via UFC Freedom 250 post-fight presserWritten in 18th-century English, the original Declaration of Independence sits in the US National Archives building in Washington, D.C. So, it figures that the American fighter was admiring a copy of the document written in the original language. Nonetheless, Gaethje was in uncharted waters that night being one of only two fighters to headline a card at the US President's residence.
All in all, the UFC Freedom 250 event spawned many noteworthy moments, despite only being a card of 7 fights. It had everything from Josh Hokit's eyebrow-raising octagon interview to Alex Pereira's quick defeat at the hands of Ciryl Gane. Even so, Justin Gaethje's walkout and the incredible performance that followed may end up as the most memorable of them all.
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