Justin Gaethje has turned up the heat on Ilia Topuria ahead of their lightweight title unification bout at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14.
Gaethje is set to meet Topuria in the main event on the South Lawn of the White House, with the matchup unifying Gaethje’s interim lightweight title and Topuria’s undisputed belt. The interim strap was created after Topuria was unavailable to defend his title due to his divorce from ex-wife Giorgina Uzcategui.
Speaking in an interview with Fox Australia, Gaethje took direct aim at Topuria’s behavior and public image. “All that guy is, is a gimmick,” Gaethje said. “He calls himself the king. He thinks he's a God. What an annoying little bastard. I couldn't imagine being in a room with him for 30 minutes listening to him talk about himself.”
Gaethje also referenced Topuria’s recent split. “And I can say this: I would leave him. That's all I'm saying. I would leave him. No way I would put up with his sh*t.”
Gaethje, who captured the interim lightweight title by defeating Paddy Pimblett in January, compared Topuria’s attitude to the English star. “It was similar with Paddy Pimblett. He was so full of himself,” Gaethje said, before contrasting that with his own outlook: “It can be so detrimental to approach life that way, thinking you’re better than everybody else, because nobody is better than anyone. We’re all children of God.”
Topuria last competed in June 2025, knocking out Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight belt at 155 pounds.
