There was a lack of trash talk between Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria ahead of their title fight at the UFC Freedom 250 card on June 14. However, that seems to have changed after Gaethje’s father unexpectedly entered the conversation. In a recent episode of Gaethje’s YouTube series, ‘The Art of Violence,’ his parents joined the team for dinner and shared their thoughts on the highly anticipated matchup.
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“This is the biggest fight of his life. We have said that three or four other times,” John Ray Gaethje said. “Justin’s fighting another little short guy, and he’s done really well against Chandler, Fiziev, and a few others. I just see the same thing happening for this fight. This is what we trained for. This is what he put his whole life into since he was four years old.”
Justin Gaethje’s father may not be as deeply involved in his son’s career as, say, Tom Aspinall’s father is with his. Still, John Ray Gaethje has been a constant presence throughout most, if not all, of Justin’s fights. However, there appears to be a flaw in comparing Gaethje’s previous opponents to Ilia Topuria. Neither Michael Chandler nor Rafael Fiziev operates at the same level as ‘El Matador.’
Topuria has already scored dominant victories over both Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira—two fighters who previously defeated Gaethje. On top of that, the undefeated Spaniard secured a definitive knockout win over one of the promotion’s all-time greats, Alexander Volkanovski. And the reality of the matter is that he was the shorter guy in all of those bouts.
There’s little doubt this will be a difficult test for ‘The Highlight,’ and Ilia Topuria knows it.
“Fathers’ hope. Champions know,” Topuria responded on X. “I’ve heard this story before: bigger men, stronger men, better men. Men who said I was just a small guy who was about to get a lesson in humility. They all learned the truth the same way. Your son already knows who I am. On June 14th, you will too. 18-0 PAPA 🌹”
The betting odds for the fight show Topuria is a -750 favorite to win, while Gaethje is a +460 underdog. And it’s not just Topuria or the odds that paint a grim picture for ‘The Highlight.’
Alex Pereira’s coach has warned Justin Gaethje about Ilia Topuria
During an Instagram Q&A, Alex Pereira’s coach, Faria, predicted an early finish for the champion. “Topuria,” Faria said when asked who would win. “I think within two rounds.” Although he later admitted “it could go longer,” the prediction quickly caught fans’ attention.
Topuria joined Alex Pereira and his team for training sessions at Cruz MMA in New York. Plinio Cruz was equally impressed after seeing Topuria train up close.
“I’ve never in my life seen a guy [in] that weight class in MMA hit mitts like that,” Cruz said. “It’s scary.”
Topuria has already promised fans another knockout performance, and Pereira’s coaches appear convinced he can deliver exactly that against Gaethje. Meanwhile, ‘Poatan’ will face Ciryl Gane on the co-main event of the UFC Freedom 250 card.
It’s not new for Ilia Topuria to be branded the small guy. He has been that in most of his fights. But can Justin Gaethje be the one to use this advantage and come out the winner?
