Justin Gaethje has reacted to Ilia Topuria’s most recent announcement that ‘El Matador’ is back and is preparing for the first defense of his UFC lightweight championship.
Topuria had taken a break from fighting due to personal reasons and had stated that he would not enter the octagon in the first quarter of 2026. Recent reports indicate that the 29-year-old now has his problems outside the octagon sorted, and he is now back in the gym and is dialed in for his octagon return.
In the Georgian-Spaniard’s absence, Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett fought for the interim lightweight strap at UFC 324 last month, and the 37-year-old won the championship bout after dog-walking ‘The Baddy’ for five rounds, busting up his face and legs and dropping the Brit multiple times en route to a unanimous decision win.
After the UFC 324 win, Gaethje became the first fighter in the history of the promotion to grab the interim belt twice, and now, he has to dethrone Topuria and capture the undisputed title before potentially retiring.
The potential Topuria vs. Gaethje bout could happen on June 14 at the South Lawn of the White House and could main event the card.
Justin Gaethje reacts to Ilia Topuria’s “The Champ is back” post
Ilia Topuria recently shared training footage of himself grinding in his $2 million gym inside his Madrid mansion. ‘El Matador’ also shared some clips and pictures on Instagram and captioned them:
“The Champ is back !!! 🌹”
Justin Gaethje was informed about Topuria’s aforementioned post during a recent interview with Paramount UFC. Reacting to it, the 37-year-old added:
He [Ilia Topuria] better be back, because I’m supposed to fight him in June at the White House card. That’s who I’m fighting. That’s why I fought for this thing [the interim belt at UFC 324]. White House in June. Lets go.”
Check out Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje’s comments below:
While many are counting Justin Gaethje out and predicting that he’ll be knocked out by Ilia Topuria, just as Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, and Alexander Volkanovski, among many others, were, Gaethje appears more motivated than ever following his UFC 324 victory over Paddy Pimblett.
The 37-year-old has everything in his arsenal to dethrone an elite sniper striker like Ilia Topuria. However, he cannot trade in the pocket and use forward pressure against ‘El Matador,’ just as he chose to do previously against Pimblett and Holloway.
‘The Highlight’ and his coach, Trevor Wittman, need a game plan centered on discipline and managing distance. Only then could he pull off a major upset and retire on a high note. Lastly, against ‘El Matador,’ Justin Gaethje has to put on his best performance to date, as this may be his final opportunity to capture the undisputed UFC lightweight championship.
