Are Ilia Topuria’s demons following him to the White House? Preparations are going ahead in full swing in the Spaniard’s camp, who recently traded the Mediterranean calm of Spain for the heat of Miami. Even as Topuria looks increasingly calmer, sharper, dominant, and destructive in training footage, fans are finding it hard to overlook the one thing that may derail it all.

‘El Matador’ is set to defend his lightweight strap against interim champion Justin Gaethje for the first time since acquiring it by beating Charles Oliveira in June 2025. The pair will collide on June 14 at the White House lawn at an event billed as the UFC Freedom 250.

With 48 days remaining until the historic event, an image of the former two-division champion has begun circulating on social media. Shared by MMA UNCENSORED on X, the photo shows the Spaniard shirtless and appearing noticeably heavier than the typical lightweight limit.

“Ilia Topuria 48 days out from his title fight vs Justin Gaethje😳🏆💪 #UFCWhiteHouse,” MMA UNCENSORED captioned the image.

The image is taken from a training video Topuria shared on YouTube as a part of his Road to UFC White House series, where the lightweight champion provides fans with updates on his fight camp. However, rather than reassuring viewers, it appears to have sparked concern about whether he’ll make weight.

The UFC men’s lightweight division has an upper limit of 155 pounds, with a range of 146–155 lbs. While non-title bouts allow a 1-pound cushion (up to 156 lbs), title fights require athletes to weigh in at 155 lbs or less. If Ilia Topuria comes in overweight, he could be stripped of the belt—even if he defeats ‘The Highlight.’

But is there really a cause for concern here?

Topuria’s coach once revealed that he used to cut up to 40 lbs to make the featherweight limit. He moved to 155 lbs to avoid such drastic cuts. ‘El Matador’ walks around at nearly 190 lbs, which means he should be a welterweight. But at his size, that would be a tall (literally) order for the 5’7″ Topuria. But if he has never missed weight at 145 lbs, why worry about 155 lbs?

Because if this does happen, it wouldn’t be the first time Ilia Topuria has missed weight. Back in June 2018 at Cage Warriors 94, he faced Brian Bouland for the vacant bantamweight title. Topuria weighed in at 139.4 lbs, making him ineligible to claim the belt, despite winning the fight via first-round technical submission.

There have been questions about his weight in the UFC as well. For his lightweight title bout at UFC 317, he was half a pound over the limit in his first attempt. The second attempt saw him hit the mark, but many believe there may have been some foul play and that he may have missed weight.

Back in 2022, Topuria pulled out of his UFC 270 bout against Charles Jourdain over weight-cut issues. So, while the champion has not officially stepped on the UFC’s scales overweight, he has had his fair share of issues in that department.

Naturally, when fans came across the post on X, they quickly shared their concerns.

Ilia Topuria is predicted to miss weight against Justin Gaethje 

With the excitement around the Freedom 250 card, it’s no surprise that people had opinions. One user posted: “Bro went from feather to fridge.” The comment refers to Topuria’s initial career weight class of featherweight, and he later moved up.

Another user couldn’t believe Ilia Topuria was making weight at bantamweight. “This guy used to make 135! I mean HOW?” the user asked. Interestingly, the Spaniard fought only twice at bantamweight. He successfully made weight for his bantamweight fight against Mika Hämäläinen in April 2018. However, he missed weight for his June 2018 bout against Brian Bouland. 

Someone else was becoming increasingly nervous. “Damn, it’s only 48 days away?” the user asked. But here’s the twist. It’s not rare for fighters to look slightly bigger weeks before their fights. When they start cutting, most fighters know how to get down to the desired weight class. 

But that didn’t get rid of this fan’s worries. “Omg he’s missing weight 😭❤️‍🔥,” the user commented. But there really might be nothing to worry about, especially since Ilia Topuria is considered short for the divisions he competes in, which should help him make weight even if he is a little bigger.

Besides, as per the latest update from his camp, there’s just one thing bugging the champion. His physiotherapist said, “Ilia currently has no injuries!… However, the training intensity is so intense that even the ‘demigods’ eventually need to make a pit stop. This situation mainly leads to fatigue.”

The next user, in the meantime, was level-headed. “Could be a training session midday or evening after a snack, or some hours after lunch. Why are comments going crazy?” the user wondered.

It appears a single picture has managed to send people fearing for the main event of UFC White House. But only time will tell what actually happens when the fighters step on the scale. For now, the clock is ticking away.