TLDR
- Ali Abdelaziz says Ilia Topuria won’t get an immediate rematch with Justin Gaethje after losing the lightweight title at UFC Freedom 250 in June
- Abdelaziz claims Gaethje would beat Topuria ‘9 out of 10 times’ and has nothing to gain from a quick rematch
- The manager dismissed Topuria’s allegations about Gaethje’s gloves, noting three state commissions monitored the inspection
- Israel Adesanya also advised Topuria to secure another win before pursuing a title shot
- Both Abdelaziz and Adesanya believe Arman Tsarukyan deserves the next shot at Gaethje’s title
Sources: yardbarker.com | themaclife.com | sherdog.com
Justin Gaethje’s manager has firmly rejected Ilia Topuria’s push for an immediate rematch following the former champion’s first career loss in June. Ali Abdelaziz told Submission Radio that Topuria has no authority to demand a second fight after losing the UFC lightweight title to Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250.
“He’s not fighting Justin Gaethje next,” Abdelaziz said. “He doesn’t call the shots. Only one guy in the past did that and his name is Conor McGregor and he’s not Conor McGregor.”
Topuria entered the fight as a heavy favorite but was stopped over four rounds. He was unable to answer the bell for the fifth round in what became his first professional defeat.
🚨 Ali Abdelaziz says what Justin Gaethje is going to do next will piss a lot of people off. 👀
🗣“My idea will piss a lot of people off but I prefer not to say”
📽 Via (@SubmissionRadio)🔹️ pic.twitter.com/udR0JkXEEY
— FightLuck (@FightluckBet) September 22, 2026
Manager Claims Gaethje Would Win Nine Out of Ten Times
Abdelaziz argued that Gaethje has solved Topuria and would beat him again in a rematch. He said the champion has nothing to gain from facing the Georgian-Spaniard so soon after their first meeting.
“I believe Justin Gaethje will beat him nine out of 10 times. You know why? Justin has his number,” Abdelaziz said. “He was close to beating Justin Gaethje, but he didn’t. At the end of the day, this fight will never happen.”
The manager also addressed allegations from Topuria that Gaethje had something unusual in his gloves during the fight. “If this is what he wants to say that he had rocks in his gloves, that’s a compliment to Justin Gaethje; how hard he punches,” Abdelaziz said.
He noted that three different state commissions monitored the glove inspection. The Las Vegas Commission, the D.C. Commission, and California’s Andy Foster were all present for the checks.
Abdelaziz suggested Topuria made the glove comments during Arman Tsarukyan’s fight week to generate media attention. “He said that to take away from Arman and Ruffy’s hype. This is what Conor used to do, and he did a good job,” Abdelaziz said.
Adesanya Offers Similar Advice to Former Champion
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has also advised Topuria against pursuing an immediate rematch. Speaking on the Precision podcast, Adesanya said the former two-division champion should secure another victory before challenging for the title again.
“After a beating like that, because again, I’ve been on the receiving end of one of them, you have to realize, OK, how can I come back from this?” Adesanya said. “I’d advise him not to take it with Justin, because I think getting another win before cracking the title shot again would be best for him.”
Adesanya compared Topuria’s situation to his own rivalry with Alex Pereira. After losing his middleweight title to Pereira at UFC 281, Adesanya took an immediate rematch and knocked out the Brazilian at UFC 287.
“I went back straight away because I already had an immediate rematch cause or whatever,” Adesanya said. “I don’t know if Ilia has that.”
Both Adesanya and Abdelaziz believe Arman Tsarukyan should receive the next title shot against Gaethje. Tsarukyan earned a Performance of the Night knockout of Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331, extending his run to 11 victories from his past 12 fights.
“I think Arman’s next,” Adesanya said. “He and Justin Gaethje has to be the next fight, who else?”
Topuria recently announced he has been cleared to compete after recovering from his June defeat. Before losing to Gaethje, he had won UFC titles at featherweight and lightweight with knockout victories over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira.
Gaethje’s next opponent remains unannounced, and Topuria has not responded publicly to Abdelaziz’s comments.
