Jake Paul’s tweet after Ilia Topuria lost to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 didn’t go down as the social media superstar had hoped.

In one of the biggest upsets of the year, Gaethje stunned Topuria to become the undisputed UFC Lightweight Champion in the main event of the landmark card at the White House.

Topuria was unbeaten in his previous 17 MMA contests as a professional and the adopted Spaniard entered the Octagon in Washington DC as a heavy favourite to defeat his American opponent.

Ilia had carved himself out a reputation as a vicious striker heading into the bout, but it was Gaethje who ended up finding most success on the feet, bloodying Topuria from an early stage of the contest.

The swelling around the eyes of ‘El Matador’ grew worse as the fight wore on. The ringside doctor was called in to assess Topuria’s eyesight at the end of the third round, although referee Marc Goddard made the decision to allow the battered fighter to continue.

At the end of the fourth, though, even Topuria’s corner accepted that their man couldn’t continue and pulled him out of the fight.

Jake Paul’s Controversial Tweet After Ilia Topuria’s UFC White House Defeat

Most gave Topuria credit for how hard he fought to try and keep hold of his undefeated record. However, Jake Paul took a very different view of the fight.

“Let’s go America,” gloated ‘The Problem Child. “Justin Gaethje is a beast,” he wrote.

“Lillia [Topuria] is such a hoe for quitting on his stool. Not even worth sparring that tiny boy,” Paul mockingly declared.

Paul has had a long-time rivalry with Topuria, frequently going back and forth with him on social media over the last year. However, if Jake was hoping to take a victory lap after Ilia’s defeat, fans in the comments section quickly put Paul in his place.

Fans Savage Jake Paul over Ilia Topuria Tweet

One fan noted: “You’d expect another fighter in a different organisation AND a different weight class would be a little bit more respectful towards someone who just went through an absolute war.”

A second agreed: “Ilia took more damage and showed more skill in one fight than you have in your whole ‘boxing career.'”

Others were quick to point out how badly Paul fared in his most recent fight, which saw him brutally knocked out by Anthony Joshua, sustaining a broken jaw in the process.

“Didn’t you get knocked out but also got that jaw broken?,” asked one reply rhetorically, with another chiming in: “Is your jaw recovered? The first time you fought a person around your age and weight, you got your face changed.”

Others accused Paul of not even watching the fight, given that it was Topuria’s corner, and not the fighter himself, that ended the bout.

“His corner are the ones that waved the flag. You don’t even watch the fight and say some dumb s***,” stated one reply.

“It was his corner, not him. He would’ve died out there,” wrote another.

Paul own fighting career is currently in major doubt, as his doctors have urged him to retire following the injuries he suffered against Joshua. Regardless of whether he ends up stepping back in the ring again, he may think twice before mocking a defeated fighter again after the reaction he received on Sunday night.

Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu deployed a never-seen-before tactic to help his players secure a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands on Sunday night.

One of the most eagerly-anticipated fixtures of the 2026 World Cup’s opening week didn’t disappoint. Virgil van Dijk gave Netherlands the lead early in the second half before Keito Nakamura equalised minutes later.

Crysencio Summerville put the Netherlands back in front in the 64th minute, but the Oranje were denied all three points when Daichi Kamada scored a dramatic late equaliser.

Asked if he had any regrets over his tactics, Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman told reporters: “There was also a problem with pressure on the flanks. ​So if you look at the game, both goals, well, we didn’t defend ​well.

“Football is a funny game because, after Japan scored the second goal, they ‌started ⁠defending as well.

“So we could have scored a third goal. So I don’t regret my choices.”

Japan’s Never-Seen-Before Tactic Goes Viral

Issei Kato via Reuters

However, it’s the unusual tactics of Moriyasu which have sparked plenty of debate on social media.

The 57-year-old, who has been in charge of the Japan national team since 2018, was seen holding a white board with giant numbers towards his players.

The numbers represented how many minutes were remaining. In stoppage time, Moriyasu flashed up a board with a minute-by-minute update, to ensure his players were acutely aware of when the full-time white was coming. Watch the footage below:

Asked about the tactic, former Australia and Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou said on ITV Sport: “Yeah I guess their timekeeping is good. Fantastic. I just wish they had something that said, ‘[be] brave’ and play more to their capabilities.

“They should be really happy with the 2-2. I know the capabilities they have. They can win these games by playing with a little bit more character.”

Manchester United legend Gary Neville, asked whether he adopted such methods during his ill-fated managerial spell with Valencia, added: “No, that wasn’t a tactic I deployed. When I saw a six board, that was the goals we conceded!”

Japan and Netherlands find themselves second and third, respectively, in Group F after the first round of matches. Sweden thrashed Tunisia 5-1 in the group’s other game, with Liverpool’s Alexander Isak and Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres both getting on the scoresheet.

Netherlands face Sweden on Saturday, while Japan go head-to-head against Tunisia on the same day.

Islam Makhachev has issued a response to the UFC Freedom 250 card that took place in the early hours of Monday, the 15th of June, on the South Lawn of The White House in Washington, D.C.

The two-division champion, a former lightweight ruler himself, appears to have had a particular interest in the main event — with the 155-pound championship changing hands after Justin Gaethje flipped the odds to defeat the titleholder Ilia Topuria in brutal fashion, rearranging the Spanish-Georgian’s face with a masterclass in doghouse striking.

Topuria once posted on social media following Makhachev’s welterweight win over Jack Della Maddalena late last year. Despite Makhachev winning that fight, Topuria didn’t have many positive things to say. Topuria fared far worse against Gaethje, and Makhachev hardly held back responding this week.

Islam Makhachev’s Reaction to Ilia Topuria Losing UFC Title

Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images

In 2025, Topuria told Makhachev that he’s “the most boring thing in this game,” adding: “Every day I’m more certain I put you to sleep.”

Makhachev bided his time when it came to the opportune moment to respond, and that moment came at the historic event at The White House, with Makhachev saying: “He who exalts himself will be humbled! There’s levels in this game. Congratulations, Justin, you deserve this belt more than anyone!”

The official scorecards for Gaethje’s upset win over Topuria can be seen here, together with the punch stats, and they showed the wide margin for the American’s win. And it all led to the final image of Topuria, on his stool, between rounds four and five, unable to answer the bell, with his brother, Alex, telling the referee, Marc Goddard, that they’d “finish [stop]” the fight.

“To quit in the biggest fight of your career is something not everybody can do,” Makhachev said.

The loss was the first in Topuria’s career. Gaethje, meanwhile, advances his pro MMA record to 28 wins (21 knockouts and one submission) against five losses.

All seven of the UFC Freedom 250 fights finished with a knockout, including Ciryl Gane‘s dominance of Alex Pereira over two rounds, Sean O’Malley’s second-round stoppage of Aiemann Zahabi, and Mauricio Ruffy’s devastating, first-round finish over Michael Chandler.