Ilia Topuria says Justin Gaethje has gone too far with personal trash talk ahead of their upcoming UFC lightweight title unification bout.
Topuria and Gaethje are set to headline UFC Freedom 250 on Paramount+, with the event scheduled for Sunday at the White House in Washington. In the lead-up, Gaethje referenced Topuria’s recent divorce from his ex-wife, Giorgina Uzcategui.
Responding on X and in an Embedded episode, Topuria made it clear he was unhappy with the direction of the talk. “Justin crossed a line,” he said.
He then defended his ex-wife and the mother of his daughter. “What happened between my ex-wife and me is our business. We may no longer be together, but she is the mother of my daughter. To everyone insulting her or speaking about things they know nothing about: show some respect. You don’t have to respect our relationship. But respecting someone’s mother should be one of the most basic codes in life. Be better.”
Topuria added that his view of Gaethje has changed. “I thought he was a great guy,” he said. “But since he crossed a personal line, he's not going to have my respect. He's not going to have my team's respect. All I'm going to need is two minutes in the octagon, and then I'm going to put you to sleep in front of your whole family, your country, and in front of everyone.”
