Justin Gaethje has nothing but respect for what Ilia Topuria has accomplished during his rise to UFC superstardom, but that admiration is not diminishing his confidence ahead of their lightweight title clash.
After defeating Paddy Pimblett to claim the interim lightweight championship at UFC 324 in January, Gaethje (27-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) is now set to challenge undisputed champion Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in a title unification bout at UFC “Freedom 250” on June 14.
The matchup will represent Gaethje’s third attempt to capture the undisputed UFC lightweight title. The former BMF champion previously fell short against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254 in 2020 and against Charles Oliveira at UFC 274 in 2022, suffering submission losses in both fights.
Topuria vacated his featherweight title last year to move up to 155 pounds, and the undefeated star wasted little time establishing himself as the division’s new king. He captured the lightweight championship at UFC 317 last June by knocking out Oliveira in emphatic fashion.
That victory capped off an extraordinary run that also included knockout wins over former featherweight champions Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.
Speaking during the UFC’s press conference on Thursday to promote the upcoming White House event, Gaethje acknowledged the magnitude of the challenge awaiting him against Topuria.
“Yeah, I think he's my second toughest test ever, next to Khabib,” Gaethje said when asked where Topuria stacks up in comparison to his previous opponents. “But yeah, those three knockouts, Volkanovski, Holloway, Oliveira, yeah, legendary. So it's just going to make this win that much more spectacular.”
