TLDR
- Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje will fight for the lightweight title at UFC White House on June 14 during America 250 celebrations
- Gaethje promised to ‘bring down’ Topuria and remind him he’s ‘just a human’ after calling the champion overconfident
- Topuria responded that Gaethje sounds like every opponent he’s already beaten who promised to humble him
- The champion acknowledged Gaethje’s dangerous striking but said he will bring ‘calm and anesthesia’ to the chaos
- Topuria wants a welterweight title shot against Islam Makhachev if he defeats Gaethje successfully
Sources: timesofindia.indiatimes.com | mmajunkie.usatoday.com
UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has responded to Justin Gaethje’s recent comments ahead of their title unification fight at UFC White House on June 14. The fight will headline one of the biggest UFC events of the year during the America 250 celebrations in Washington.
Gaethje recently told reporters he wants to remind Topuria that he is “just a human.” The former BMF champion said he enjoys being the underdog and believes Topuria sees himself as unbeatable.
“I love pressure, I love being the underdog. I love being counted out, and I love the fact that my opponent thinks he is some kind of God or king, because I get to bring him down and let him know he is just a human, like all of us,” Gaethje said in a recent interview.
Topuria did not wait long to respond. Speaking to Diario AS, the UFC lightweight champion said he has heard the same talk many times before from other opponents.
Bold move to piss off Ilia Topuria
He was trying to be nice 😠https://t.co/bHt3dBKtls pic.twitter.com/Q2lIJsuHmv
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) June 2, 2026
Topuria Says Gaethje Sounds Like Past Opponents
“He has the same speech as all my opponents, that he’s going to give me a lesson in humility, that he’s going to put me in my place, that I’m super arrogant,” Topuria said. “But, well, you know how all that ends up.”
The Spanish-Georgian fighter still gave credit to Gaethje’s fighting style. He called Gaethje dangerous and praised his unpredictable striking ability.
“Strength? Let’s see. He’s good. He’s a guy who represents danger. He has chaotic hands, you don’t know where he’s going to throw from,” Topuria said. “In that chaos, we’re going to bring him calm and anesthesia.”
Gaethje compared Topuria’s confidence to former UFC double champion Conor McGregor during an interview with TMZ Sports. He said Topuria promotes himself the same way McGregor did before fights.
“This is how he approaches many fights. He’s been successful every time along the road,” Gaethje explained. “It’s similar to how McGregor approached it in that you’re going to make yourself this unbeatable, infallible person, and then when you lose, where do you go from there? So, I can’t wait to teach him that lesson.”
Topuria won the lightweight title by knocking out Charles Oliveira in the first round. Gaethje is coming off a decision win over Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 earlier this year.
Champion Eyes Welterweight Title Shot Next
Topuria told UFC’s Megan Olivi that he wants to move up to welterweight after the Gaethje fight. He hopes the UFC will give him a shot at the welterweight belt if he wins on June 14.
“Always, always,” Topuria said when asked if he still wants to move to welterweight. “I want to connect the third belt. Everyone knows that.”
The current welterweight champion is Islam Makhachev. Topuria and Makhachev have traded words over the past few years and appear interested in fighting each other.
“After this fight, if the UFC wants to give me the opportunity to move up to the welterweight division and fight against the current champion, Islam Makhachev, I’ll be very happy,” Topuria said. “Why not? If you don’t take risks, there is no champagne.”
Makhachev vacated the lightweight title and moved up to welterweight, where he beat Jack Della Maddalena to claim that belt. Topuria then moved up from featherweight to lightweight and won the title Makhachev left behind.
Topuria said he is confident he will defeat Gaethje. He told Olivi he does not see any way Gaethje can win the fight.
“Every fighter is different. They bring different styles inside the octagon,” Topuria said. “I’ve never faced anyone like Justin. He’s a legendary fighter. I like him as a fan, and I always love to watch all his fights because they’re very entertaining. But when you talk about me fighting him, as I told you before, I don’t see any possibilities for him.”
The UFC White House event on June 14 will be the main event of the America 250 celebrations. Both fighters are known for their aggressive fighting style and confidence before fights.
