Justin Gaethje is not entertaining the idea of an immediate rematch with Ilia Topuria after stopping him by corner-stoppage TKO in the main event of UFC White House to claim the undisputed lightweight title.
Gaethje weathered early danger when Topuria hurt and dropped him in the second round and chased a submission, but the challenger failed to close the show. The bout continued after a doctor appeared to consider stopping it following the third round, before Topuria’s corner ultimately waved it off after another round of action.
Speaking about the fight and Topuria’s future on the Joe Rogan Experience, Gaethje made his stance on a second meeting clear. “The odds are f*cking great against that right now,” he said, later adding, “Right now I’m planning on it. There’s not something natural in me that feels like it’s over. I can’t say that I have a name. [Ilia] doesn’t get a rematch. He can try but he doesn’t get one. He quit on the stool, I stopped him twice, what else do I have to f*cking do?”
Gaethje also compared the impact of his win over Topuria to his previous fight with Tony Ferguson. “I hope he does [bounce back], and I know he has the skill to be a champion again. However, same thing with Tony Ferguson, I didn’t break Tony Ferguson’s confidence. I changed the perception of his opponents of him and that is a huge factor when you go in there. …”
Looking ahead, Gaethje said Topuria should not be next in line for him. “His next challenge can’t be me. He needs to fight Paddy or someone like that.”
