A seemingly innocent trip to the tattoo parlor has thrown the UFC lightweight title picture into chaos, and interim champion Justin Gaethje is the one who could pay the price.

In the video, Topuria stands beside a table with the BMF belt and two UFC belts laid out, flipping through designs on an iPad with his team before signing gloves and a poster for fans. That’s it. Justin Gaethje is the interim lightweight champion after stopping Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324. And the UFC is building toward the White House card in June.

Meanwhile, Islam Makhachev has said, “I like this idea… I’m ready,” about possibly fighting Topuria at welterweight. And now the champion looks bigger than ever on camera, casually browsing tattoos while fans wait to hear if ‘The Highlight’ gets his unification shot.

The timing of the video is what’s fueling speculation, as the UFC builds toward its White House card and Justin Gaethje awaits his title shot. ‘El Matador’ hasn’t fought since knocking out Charles Oliveira in June 2025 to win the vacant lightweight belt. His return was delayed by legal issues that his team now says are resolved. Spanish reporter Álvaro Colmenero even claimed there’s a “90% probability” that Topuria fights Gaethje at the White House. But Michael Bisping is already floating the idea that the UFC might sidestep Gaethje for the spectacle of Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev.

“There’s no bigger fight right now, in my humble opinion, than Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria,” said ‘The Count’ on a video on his YouTube Channel. “I know Justin is the interim and Ilia is the undisputed, and that should happen. It really should, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion.”

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Adding to the speculation is Topuria’s physical appearance in the clip. Ilia Topuria looked thick in the clip. Not out of shape, just bigger. Fans immediately jumped to welterweight talk. The lightweight champion himself has said he’s willing to go up to 170 if it gets him Makhachev. Makhachev has indicated he intends to stay at welterweight. That leaves Gaethje in an awkward spot: interim champion, waiting on a champion who might be flirting with a higher weight class and a bigger moment.

Fans speculate a welterweight move for Ilia Topuria as concerns emerge about Justin Gaethje

One fan wrote, “wtf he looks massive. Welterweight?” That reaction isn’t just about size. It’s about fear that Ilia Topuria is already mentally stepping past Gaethje. The visual of him looking bigger feeds into the Islam Makhachev super-fight narrative, and fans know how the UFC operates. If the White House card needs a headline, divisions become flexible. For Gaethje, that’s dangerous. He’s the rightful next opponent, but history says “rightful” doesn’t always win when spectacle enters the room.

Another fan added, “Might as well. He doesn’t need to train for his next match.” This one reads like sarcasm, but the subtext is concern. Topuria, dealing with tattoos and fan signings, looks casual. It’s not about accusing Topuria of slacking. It’s about the optics of urgency or the lack of it.

Someone else pointed, “The tattoo will prolly say: ‘The double champ does what the f—he wants’ lol.” That’s a Conor McGregor callback, and that comparison is doing a lot of work here. The joke lands because the fear feels real: that ‘El Matador’ might chase legacy moments over the clean, boring business of unifying belts. For Justin Gaethje, that’s the nightmare scenario. He becomes collateral damage in someone else’s legacy run.

One more viewer wrote, “If there was a betting line that said Ilia will have the biggest fall off and gets brutally finished by Arman, I’d put 10k on that.” Arman Tsarukyan is sidelined because Gaethje beat ‘The Baddy’ for interim gold. If Topuria leapfrogs Gaethje to chase Makhachev, Tsarukyan’s next logical target becomes whoever falls out of that mess. It’s harsh, but it shows how quickly goodwill flips in this division. One perceived detour, and people start betting on your downfall.

And finally, one fan added, “Irish flag tattoo?” It’s not that Topuria is trying to be Conor McGregor, even though the ‘copycat’ accusations have followed him through his UFC run. But the moment you start hinting at multi-division moves and generational superfights, you invite that comparison.

Ilia Topuria hasn’t said he’s skipping Justin Gaethje. He also hasn’t said he’s moving to welterweight tomorrow. He was just standing there, shirtless, flipping through tattoo designs with belts on the table. And yet, the reactions tell you how fragile Gaethje’s position feels when a potential superfight is on the table.