UFC analyst Laura Sanko is backing Justin Gaethje to derail Ilia Topuria’s perfect record in their lightweight title unification bout at UFC Freedom 250.
Topuria enters Sunday’s event at the White House with a 17-0 MMA record and 9-0 mark in the UFC, while Gaethje comes in at 27-5 overall and 10-5 in the promotion. The bout will stream on Paramount+.
Sanko acknowledged the challenge in siding with Gaethje when breaking down the matchup on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn. “Those are very similar vibes because, listen, the analyst in me, it's not easy to make a clear path to victory for Justin where it's like, 'If he does this, this and this, he'll have a really good shot that plays into the weakness of his opponent,'” she said.
She pointed to recent history as a reminder of MMA’s unpredictability. “It's not easy to do that. But this sport has a habit of making fools of us who try to predict outcomes of fights, and the Sean Strickland vs. Khamzat fight being so recent should remind all of us of what that looks like and what that feels like. The truth is, you just don't know. Justin is a very dangerous, dangerous guy.”
Ultimately, Sanko made her stance clear. “The analyst in me says Ilia Topuria, but I'm going to pick Justin Gaethje. I'm going to go with Justin Gaethje on America's front lawn: finish.”
