UFC president Dana White is warning fight fans not to count out Justin Gaethje from beating Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250.
Gaethje is a massive underdog when he battles Topuria for the undisputed UFC lightweight title in the headline of the UFC White House card, which takes place on Sunday on Paramount+.
While most people think Topuria is going to sleep Gaethje and unify the titles, White thinks you shouldn’t count out “The Highlight” so easily.
Dana White Makes Argument For Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250
Speaking to the Full Send Podcast ahead of the UFC White House card, White made his argument for why Gaethje could pull off the upset.
“He’s looking down the barrel of greatness, no doubt about it. (But) both guys have explosive knockout power and highlight reel knockouts. It’s one of those fights, whoever catches that chin first on Sunday night is going to win. A hundred percent (people are underestimating Gaethje). Ilia looks so good and whatever, but the truth of the matter is both guys have unbelievable knockout power. The thing with Gaethje is, people are like, ‘Gaethje’s at the end of his career, Gaethje’s old.’ Gaethje still knocks people the (expletive) out. To count him out and think that he couldn’t hit Ilia and catch him on the chin is crazy,” White said (h/t Bloody Elbow).
Final UFC Freedom 250 Betting Odds
With one day to go until UFC Freedom 250, here are the final betting odds for Topuria vs. Gaethje.
Ilia Topuria -500
Justin Gaethje +375
The odds opened with Topuria as a heavy favorite, and they have mostly held steady since the fight was first announced two months ago.
However, there has been a little bit of late money coming in on Gaethje in the final days before the fight, as some straight bettors are taking a shot on him to come through with another upset victory — something that he has done many times during his UFC Hall of Fame career.
But while Gaethje is a fantastic fighter in his own right, Topuria is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter on the entire planet, and it’s very hard to pick against him in this fight given that he is undefeated, has the superior ground game, and also has the better boxing skills.
That being said, as White noted, Gaethje is a tricky fighter who has a ton of experience, knockout power, and the will to win. He doesn’t have a great chance to win, since he is taking on such an incredible talent in Topuria, but at the same time, it’s an MMA fight, and you’d be foolish to completely discount him from winning.
UFC Freedom 250 is just one day away. It all goes down on Sunday, June 14, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., and it airs live on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET. It is expected to be one of the most widely viewed MMA cards of all time and is one of the greatest spectacles the UFC has ever put together.
Dana White: Don’t Count Out Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250