Justin Gaethje: Ilia Topuria Is Undersized for Lightweight Division
UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje dismissed Ilia Topuria's glove-loading accusations, stating the former featherweight titleholder is too small to succeed at 155 pounds.
· VILLAND PICK editorial
At UFC White House, Justin Gaethje pulled off one of the biggest upsets in mixed martial arts history by stopping Ilia Topuria to capture the UFC lightweight championship. The result marked the first defeat of Topuria's professional MMA career. Following the bout, Topuria struggled to accept the loss and recently accused Gaethje of loading his gloves prior to the contest.
Speaking on the FLAGRANT podcast, as reported by MMA Fighting, Gaethje completely dismissed the cheating allegations and explained that Topuria simply lacked the size required for the 155-pound division. Gaethje stated that Topuria has the ability to defeat Alexander Volkanovski and rule as featherweight champion, but doubted he could ever capture gold at lightweight, even suggesting Topuria would have a difficult matchup against Paddy Pimblett.
While Topuria is currently pushing for an immediate rematch and fans are calling for Gaethje to fight Arman Tsarukyan next, the newly crowned champion is uncertain about his future. Gaethje noted that after 40 career fights, including amateur bouts, his priority is dealing with injuries and focusing on his health. Gaethje admitted that while he feels he has nothing left to prove, he is torn because he also just delivered the best performance of his career.
Sources
This article was written by VILLAND PICK based on the reports listed above. Original articles are not reproduced.