UFC star Ilia Topuria sent a stern warning to UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz.
Topuria is set to return in the coming months after taking a beating from Gaethje in the main event of UFC Freedom 250, a fight in which he lost his belt in an upset.
With Topuria set to hopefully get back into the Octagon soon, he has now sent a message to Gaethje ahead of his return, along with his manager, Abdelaziz.
Ilia Topuria Sends Message to Justin Gaethje
Taking to his social media, Topuria sent a two-part message to Gaethje and Abdelaziz, which you can read in full below.
“Final medical tests done. I’m back. To all the clowns who’ve been talking shit and counting me out this whole time, here I am. Now let’s see who’s got the balls. Thanks to everyone for the support. Next time I’ll make sure they check Justin’s gloves so he doesn’t put anything weird on them. See you soon,” Topuria wrote on X.
“By the way Justin, (expletive) you. And Ali, (expletive) you too,” added Topuria.
Will the UFC Book the Rematch?
Now the question is: will the UFC book the rematch between Topuria and Gaethje?
It’s certainly trending that way.
Although Topuria was beaten via TKO and never successfully defended the UFC lightweight title, it does appear that momentum is gearing towards the UFC booking a rematch between him and Gaethje, as the organization believes this is the biggest fight it can make right now.
From a merit perspective, it’s difficult to argue that Topuria deserves the title fight more than someone like Arman Tsarukyan, who is riding a long win streak and who battles Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event of UFC 331 this Saturday.
If Tsarukyan wins this fight, then it’s really difficult for the UFC to ignore him for a title shot at 155 lbs. Yet, it does feel like Topuria may pass him in the title queue due to his rivalry with Gaethje.
We’ll see what happens, but don’t be surprised if Gaethje vs. Topuria 2 is the next lightweight title fight.
Ilia Topuria Sends Stern Warning to Justin Gaethje & His Manager