Ilia Topuria has fired back at comments from Justin Gaethje’s father ahead of their UFC Freedom 250 title fight on June 14 at the White House in Washington D.C.
Topuria, who enters the main event with a 17-0 MMA record and 9-0 mark in the UFC, is set to face Gaethje, who holds a 27-5 MMA record and 10-5 UFC record.
Gaethje’s father played up the magnitude of the matchup, saying, "This is the biggest fight of his life, but I mean, we've said that three or four other times," before adding confidence in his son’s track record against similar opposition. "He's fighting another little short guy, and he's done really well against (Michael) Chandler and (Rafael) Fiziev and a few of the others, and I just see the same thing happening for this fight. This is what we trained for. This is what he's put his whole life into since he was 4 years old, and I'm excited and ready for it to happen."
Topuria issued a pointed public response: "Fathers hope. Champions know. I’ve heard this story before: bigger men, stronger men, better men. Men who said I was just a small guy who was about to get a lesson in humility. They all learned the truth the same way. Your son already knows who I am. On June 14th, you will too. 18-0 PAPA."
