Eric Nicksick has laid out a clear blueprint for how Justin Gaethje can find success against Ilia Topuria ahead of their lightweight title unification bout at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 at the White House in Washington D.C.
Topuria, 17-0 in MMA and 9-0 in the UFC, is scheduled to unify his lightweight title with interim champion Gaethje, who holds a 27-5 MMA record and 10-5 mark in the UFC, in the event’s main event.
“I think Gaethje always has a chance in any fight,” Nicksick said while outlining why he believes kicks will be crucial for “The Highlight” against Topuria.
“I think Ilia has more paths to victory and more opportunities to win if he uses his grappling game, but I go back to the Poirier and Gaethje fight when Gaethje, out of nowhere, throws the same side head kick. And if I'm fighting Topuria, you have to keep his back hand active. You have to be able to jam that with the kicks.”
Nicksick also pointed to Topuria’s lightweight debut in March 2022, when he was dropped by a Jai Herbert head kick before winning by knockout in Round 2, as a potential opening.
“So if I'm on Gaethje's side, I'm looking to kick a lot on the same side. I'm looking to exit with it, to keep his right hand busy. How do you keep it jammed? You have to kick that thing. The fight that he had with the British kid, he got hit with the head kick, Jai Herbert, there's some flaws there. I've seen Topuria get head-kicked in some of those areas. So, with Trevor Wittman and Gaethje and those guys, they're going to come up with a good game plan to make it competitive.”
