The interim champion looks to have booked a showdown with the UFC’s lightweight king.
Justin Gaethje beat Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 in January to become a two-time interim titleholder at 155 pounds.
The result kept the American’s hopes of undisputed glory on MMA’s biggest stage alive by putting him in prime position to welcome Ilia Topuria back to the Octagon later this year.
Topuria announced a UFC hiatus at the end of 2025 but is looking to return in the second quarter of this year.
If a unification fight is awaiting him and Gaethje, Daniel Cormier will have some advice for his fellow countryman…
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Daniel Cormier will tell Justin Gaethje not to fight Ilia Topuria like he did Max Holloway
No one has been able to beat Topuria in MMA thus far, and only two men have withstood his power: Josh Emmett and Youssef Zalal.
Among those who have fallen victim to the Spaniard’s renowned power is Max Holloway. After dethroning Alexander Volkanovski in early 2024, Topuria knocked out Holloway to record his one and only featherweight title defense.
Gaethje fought ‘Blessed’ earlier that year at UFC 300, throwing heavy leather with the Hawaiian in a brutal five-round war that ended in ‘The Highlight’ being put to sleep.
‘DC’ plans to warn Gaethje against similarly going blow for blow with Topuria for fear that he will end up unconscious on the canvas again.
“Justin Gaethje is my friend,” Cormier said during an appearance on Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe and Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson. “I’m gonna tell him, ‘Don’t do that with Ilia Topuria, man.’
“You can’t do that with him. He hits so hard.
“When he and Charles Oliveira were fighting, by the time Charles Oliveira hit the ground, he was already sleeping, man. Ilia hit him two to three times on the way down,” he added.
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Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje is ’90 percent’ likely to happen at the White House
A huge Topuria update came on Thursday, with the Spanish fighter reaching a settlement with his ex-wife to bring a tumultuous time away from the Octagon to an end.
With that in mind, the lightweight champ is setting his sights back on MMA, and Topuria has one event in mind for his return.
According to an…
2026-02-05 23:00:00
