Justin Gaethje beat the odds to defeat Paddy Pimblett in the UFC 324 headliner, becoming a two-time interim champion in the promotion’s history. Beyond that rare achievement, ‘The Highlight’ is now set to unify his belt against Ilia Topuria in the near future, and the tension between them continues to build.

After Gaethje’s win, ‘El Matador’ took a shot at Pimblett on X for failing to beat the 37-year-old veteran. In the same post, while the lightweight champion congratulated Gaethje on his performance, he also labeled him “screwed”. With that animosity in the air, the Arizona native did not hold back either, calling Topuria out for the White House event and even floating the possibility of a title being vacated.

Justin Gaethje targets Ilia Topuria for White House fight with ‘stripping’ threat

“Can’t wait. That’s what I got here for. That’s what we do, and of course, what I believe the next fight is. Unless he’s not back. If I had any bit of a personality, that’d be f—ing huge. But I just can’t lie. I can’t exaggerate, you know. It’s what I do. It’s who I am. It’s what my parents taught me to be. But there’s no doubt that it’s going to be one of the best fights that they could definitely put on,” Justin Gaethje said at the UFC 324 post-fight press conference.

After winning the first legal battle with ex-wife Giorgina Uzcategui Badell, Ilia Topuria announced that he plans to return in April or June, which immediately created buzz among fans. While ‘The Highlight’ welcomes that challenge, he also questioned whether ‘El Matador’ would be able to make it to the White House event due to his ongoing legal situation.

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“It’ll be for an undisputed belt. I think they want to have six or seven, or whatever they want, as many as possible. So if he’s not back by then, they will strip him, and I will be the undisputed, and then I’ll fight for the belt there and defend it,” Gaethje added at the post-fight presser.

With that said, if Topuria is unable to make it to the White House Card, then the UFC might strip him and book Justin Gaethje against the winner of UFC 326 main event, which will feature Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira for the BMF title.

Now, as the two-time interim lightweight champion looks ahead to what could be the toughest challenge of his career, the idea of fighting at the White House carries even more weight. For Gaethje, it represents a rare opportunity he does not want to miss, especially if it means representing his country on one of the biggest stages the sport has ever seen. 

‘The Highlight’ determined to compete at historic UFC White House event

Justin Gaethje has always presented himself as a proud American and a true patriot. He has worn the United States flag with pride every time he has stepped inside the Octagon. And while the line of fighters hoping to compete at the still-projected White House card continues to grow, ‘The Highlight’ believes only death could keep him from competing on an event built around national pride.

“The White House is in June. And you know, I represent this country. I represented it tonight, and I hope to be… obviously, look at the position and the opportunity they just gave me here. There’s no way they are keeping me off that card unless I’m dead,” Gaethje added at the post-fight press conference.

According to Dana White, he and the matchmakers will sit down on Monday to begin shaping the June 14 card. That should give fans a clearer picture of how the lineup will look. However, after the performance Gaethje delivered at UFC 324, it would be difficult to imagine the promotion leaving him off such a historic event.

The UFC would also likely lean on American stars like Gaethje and Max Holloway to headline the show, especially with Russian fighters reportedly not competing on the card, as suggested by Merab Dvalishvili.

That said, as the UFC moves closer to the White House event, do you think Justin Gaethje would fight Ilia Topuria in the headliner? Let us know in the comments section below.