Ilia Topuria‘s crushing defeat to Justin Gaethje at the UFC Freedom 250 was already shocking to witness. But newly released behind-the-scenes footage has now revealed just how close the blockbuster main event on the White House’s South Lawn was to ending even earlier than it did after the fourth round.

Fox Nation’s new two-part documentary on the UFC White House event captured Dana White and Donald Trump‘s live reactions as the then-lightweight champion’s face began to fall apart. And long before the cageside doctor stepped in to check on ‘El Matador’ after the third round, the UFC CEO already realized that something was seriously wrong.

“His eye looks messed up,” Dana White reacted.

Things deteriorated significantly in Round 3. Justin Gaethje dropped Ilia Topuria in the middle of the Octagon, leaving the previously undefeated champion’s face covered in blood, his eyes swollen shut, and his nose broken. ‘El Matador’ then informed his corner that he couldn’t see out of his eyes. When the cageside doctor came in to examine him, Dana White immediately knew this mega-fight might meet an abrupt end.

“Where’s his doctor from?” White remarked.

President Donald Trump, sitting beside him, having seen many a fight, seemed convinced the fight was about to end.

“The doctor is going to call the fight,” he told the UFC CEO.

It’s no surprise that he felt this way, as many others watching the bloody battle unfold felt the same way. Adding to it, the examination conducted by the doctor after the third round didn’t look promising, especially as Ilia Topuria seemed to struggle with the doctor’s follow-the-finger test, making the doctor shake his head in dismay, suggesting that the fight would be stopped immediately. However, referee Marc Goddard wasn’t ready to call it off just yet.

“Okay, I’m happy to let this go. I wanna let it go,” Goddard told both the doctor and Topuria. “Ilia, push yourself back in the fight, okay?”

Topuria shook his head, and the fight resumed. And as expected, Dana White absolutely loved the decision.

“This ref is the best ref,” White told Hunter Campbell.

After the battle commenced in the fourth round, Justin Gaethje ramped up his punishment and battered Ilia Topuria some more. ‘The Highlight’ even took the Spaniard down and unleashed a devastating knee to his rib that looked too difficult to watch. Seeing Ilia unable to recover and suffer more and more damage, his corner eventually decided it was enough. After Round 4, his brother Aleksandre Topuria made the final decision for him.

“Ilia, no more fighting. It’s over,” he told his brother, who was seated on the stool.

The newly released footage has made the stoppage even more controversial. Popular sports doctor Brian Sutterer MD after the fight argued that the bout should have ended after the third round, citing Ilia Topuria’s inability to see and track the doctor’s finger.

“I think Marc Goddard was just stepping in to say, ‘No, I think the fight should continue,’” Doctor Brian Sutterer said on his YouTube channel. “It clearly looked like a situation where he was overruling what the [doctor] was recommending.

“Per the letter of the law, this fight should’ve been stopped. It seemed very clear that Topuria was not able to track [the doctor’s finger]. If you’re not able to track, you can’t see. That should be pretty black and white, per the letter of the law, of saying that the fight should end.”

Still, the extra round contributed to the drama of the main event that Dana White says couldn’t have been scripted any better.

Dana White claims Justin Gaethje’s win over Ilia Topuria was straight out of a movie

Looking back on the night in the documentary, Dana White couldn’t believe just how perfectly everything came together.

“You couldn’t ask for a more incredible main event, to be at the White House, and the American underdog actually ends up winning,” he said. “If you scripted this out like a movie, this is the documentary of what really happened. If this was a script of a movie, you’d call bulls—. You just couldn’t write a better script than this.”

To be fair, the new lightweight champion’s story definitely feels like something out of a movie. At UFC 300 in April 2024, he was on the wrong end of one of the most memorable moments in UFC history. With seconds remaining, Max Holloway, the heavy underdog in that fight, pointed to the center of the Octagon, invited him to trade some relentless blows, and brutally knocked him out with just one second left.

Back then, ‘The Highlight’ became a supporting character in someone else’s ideal finale. But now, just two years later, at 37, he got one of his own.

At an age when many believed his title window was closing, Justin Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett to win the interim lightweight belt. He then walked onto the White House lawn as a massive underdog and gave Ilia Topuria his first professional MMA loss to finally become the undisputed UFC lightweight champion.

The amazing turnaround has earned Gaethje an ESPY nomination for Best Fighter of the year. After the combat sports award was split between MMA and boxing in recent years, the categories will be merged again in 2026. ‘The Highlight’ is the only MMA fighter nominated, and he will face boxing stars such as Terence Crawford, Claressa Shields, and Gabriela Fundora.

Whether he wins the award or not, Dana White’s point is hard to argue with. Justin Gaethje went from being brutally knocked out in someone else’s movie ending to receiving an even bigger one—and he did it on the White House lawn.