Ilia Topuria is not one to shy away from completely rejecting his opponents’ chances.
That trend is continuing in the lead-up to the UFC lightweight champion’s first defense, which comes almost a year on from his crowning against Charles Oliveira.
Topuria will face Justin Gaethje in a unification fight that is set to headline the upcoming UFC event at the White House on June 14.
The Spaniard is a huge favorite heading into the fight, and he evidently thinks lopsided predictions in his favor are the only ones worth listening to.
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Ilia Topuria reacts to Ali Abdelaziz promising that Justin Gaethje will ‘shock the world’
‘El Matador’ is never one to hide his confidence as a fighter. The 17-0 champion’s self-belief is as high as ever heading into his showdown with ‘The Highlight’.
Confidence is so high, in fact, that Topuria will celebrate beating Gaethje early. Like prior to his win over Oliveira, the 29-year-old is planning a celebratory dinner the night before UFC White House.
With that in mind, it is unsurprising what he thought of a recent prediction from the interim titleholder’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz.
“Justin Gaethje is going to be @Justin_Gaethje and he will shock the world. Just stay tuned,” Abdelaziz wrote on X.
Topuria poked fun at that bold prediction, simply commenting a laughing emoji to make it clear what he thinks of Gaethje’s chances on June 14.
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— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) May 29, 2026
Gaethje beat Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 to become a two-time interim champion.
That achievement earned the American the right to welcome Topuria back to the Octagon after his hiatus to deal with personal issues.
‘The Highlight’ has previously fallen short of the undisputed crown against Oliveira and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
His third shot at the title on June 14 is expected to be his last, and many are predicting Gaethje’s retirement if Topuria gets the victory.
2026-05-29 19:00:00
