Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) interim Lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje, collides with reigning 155-pound kingpin, Ilia Topuria, to unify the division title at UFC Freedom 250 next weekend (Sun., June 14, 2026) on the White House’s South Lawn in Washington, D.C., to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
So much so that the Armenian hot-head allegedly bet $1 million on “The Highlight” to pull off the massive upset — for a potential return of $5.7 million.
Indeed, during a stream with goofball boxing personality Deen The Great and former boxing champion, Adrien Broner, Tsarukyan was talked into placing the monster wager on Gaethje.
“Every time Gaethje fought [as an underdog], everyone thought he’d lose, but he always wins,” Tsarukyan said. “We can put maybe like $50k?”
Then, someone in the background suggested betting $1 million.
“For a million, I have to call a couple of guys,” Tsarukyan replied.
Tsarukyan then entered $1 million into the betting app and showed the crew. Moments later, someone appeared to press the bet button, causing Tsarukyan to jump out of his seat as instant regret seemingly hit his entire body.
Now, let’s address the two elephants in the room.
First, this could be completely fake. Someone on the stream mentions that the betting app is a sponsor, and, having worked with sportsbooks before myself, they produce a ton of fake bet slips.
Either way, it was a wild clip.
Nevertheless, Tsarukyan is still serving as the backup fighter for UFC Freedom 250’s main event. But, with his timeline closing for when he is willing to cut weight, it looks more likely that he will be wrestling Tony Ferguson one day before UFC White House for Real American Freestyle (RAF).
