UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje fired back at his rival, former champ Ilia Topuria, for the recent comments he made about him.
On Wednesday, Topuria revealed that he is preparing for his comeback to the Octagon after Gaethje shocked the world and finished him via fourth-round TKO in the main event of UFC Freedom 250 in June.
In his message to Gaethje, Topuria accused his opponent of loading up his gloves, suggesting that “The Highlight” cheated in their fight.
Now, Gaethje has fired back.
Justin Gaethje Fires Back at Ilia Topuria
Taking to his social media, Gaethje fired back at Topuria for the comments he made suggesting that he cheated his way to victory at UFC Freedom 25o, calling his performance at UFC Freedom 250 “terrible.”
“94 days and the best you could come up with is a lame excuse. As terrible as your last performance. Do better kid,” Gaethje wrote on X.
Is the UFC Booking a Rematch?
Based on everything we have heard so far, it does feel like we are trending towards an immediate rematch between Gaethje and Topuria for sometime in early 2027.
On paper, Topuria does not deserve an immediate rematch, as he never successfully defended the UFC lightweight title even one time. However, if the UFC feels like this rematch with Gaethje is the biggest fight that the promotion can book at the moment, then you can see why they are interested in booking this fight again, as the UFC always tries to book the biggest fights possible.
That does mean that other top contenders in the weight class, such as Arman Tsarukyan, who fights against Mauricio Ruffy this Saturday at UFC 331, will have to sit and wait their turn for the lightweight title shot, which doesn’t seem fair to the lightweight division’s other top contenders.
But again, if the UFC feels that Gaethje vs. Topuria 2 is the biggest fight that they can make right now, then it’s the fight that they are going to book, and fans should start preparing for the very real possibility that we are going to get a rematch between these two rivals.
Justin Gaethje Fires Back at Ilia Topuria: ‘Do Better Kid’