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Kansas football alums Mason Fairchild and Bryce Torneden played together for one season in Lawrence back in 2019, but on Saturday the two squared off against each other in the UFL Championship game.
Torneden's Michigan Panthers got the best of Fairchild's DC Defenders in the regular season, winning 38-14 back in Week 6, but that wasn't the case in the UFL Championship on Saturday. The Defenders obliterated the Panthers, 58-34, in a game that was all but decided before halftime.
THE DC DEFENDERS ARE THE 2025 UFL CHAMPIONS! pic.twitter.com/KltwlwJK65
— United Football League (@TheUFL) June 15, 2025
We previewed Saturday's Championship contest earlier in the week, and with both playing limited roles for their respective team during the regular season, we didn't know what to expect in what could potentially be the final game ever for both Fairchild and Torneden.
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!!
— D.C. Defenders (@XFLDefenders) June 15, 2025
DC IS TAKING HOME THE UFL CHAMPIONSHIP!!! pic.twitter.com/cwmAReafUb
Fairchild caught four passes for 26 yards and forced a fumble during the regular season, so we weren't too optimistic he'd see any passes come his way on Saturday. But we were wrong. Fairchild caught the only pass thrown his way for 14 yards. As for Torneden, the first-year outside linebacker for Michigan didn't record any stats in the big game.
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