PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov believes the upcoming Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje title unification bout at UFC Freedom 250 is flying under the radar.
Topuria, the UFC lightweight champion with a 17-0 MMA record and 9-0 UFC mark, is set to face interim lightweight champion Gaethje, who holds a 27-5 MMA record and 10-5 UFC record. The pair will unify their belts in the main event of UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 at the White House in Washington D.C.
Nurmagomedov said he was unaware of the fight date and questioned the buzz around the event. “Can you imagine brother? I didn't even know when they were going to fight,” he said, later adding, “But they do some big tournament, White House, but nobody knows about it. I don't know why. Maybe because of this short guy, he's not so famous. I don't know why the people now don't like the lightweight division in the UFC. But if I will come there, I'm going to fix it.”
He contrasted the promotion for Topuria vs. Gaethje with the attention around his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov’s fight with Conor McGregor. “I swear, I don't know. I remember when Khabib was fighting with McGregor, every kid knew about that fight. Every even grandmother, grandfather, even kings from some countries, everybody knew.”
Despite his criticism, Nurmagomedov sees a path to victory for Gaethje, saying, “I think yes, he can,” and outlining, “To fight with Ilia Topuria, you don't need too much skills – just enough, like know how to wrestle, grapple and kickboxing. Just kick his leg. He goes like this (with his movement), just kick his leg and like move around him. That's it.”
