The UFC White House main event between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje has already divided opinion, and even the fighters are unsure how the fight will play out. The lightweight title unification match will highlight the historic June card, and while many consider ‘El Matador’ to be the overwhelming favorite given his recent knockout streak, not everyone is ready to write Gaethje out just yet.

“Dude, I love Justin,” Dustin Poirier said on the Joe Rogan Experience. “I love him. I’m a fan. I don’t like this matchup for him.”

Joe Rogan, on the other hand, believes Justin Gaethje is a fighter who should never be underestimated, regardless of how strong the opponent looks on paper.

“Well, you know what? Justin knows what he’s getting into, and it’s hard to count that dude out,” Joe Rogan replied. “He’s such an animal. And it’s on the White House.

“Who knows? Who knows what’s gonna happen?”

The UFC commentator still admitted that Ilia Topuria has looked practically unstoppable lately, especially because of the strength he possesses despite not being the biggest lightweight out there on the roster.

“That dude has the touch of death,” Joe Rogan added. “And he’s not a big guy. I’ve never seen him in person, but I was talking to somebody recently, and they said, No, he’s 5’7”, you know?

“And, bro, he puts people into the shadow realm. It’s just technique and power and confidence. His confidence is crazy.

But with the event taking place inside the White House and both fighters being notorious for explosive finishes, Joe Rogan believes anything is possible, even against a champion who seems nearly unstoppable right now.

And honestly, he isn’t the only one who believes it to be true. Paddy Pimblett, the man whom Justin Gaethje defeated to earn the interim title, also backed Justin Gaethje to end up as the last man standing in this much-awaited clash.

Paddy Pimblett predicts a major upset for the Justin Gaethje vs. Ilia Topuria matchup

Joe Rogan wasn’t the only one who refused to rule Justin Gaethje out. Before Rogan shared his take, Paddy Pimblett had already backed the American to pull off an upset, even after losing to him in the interim title fight.

Because of their previous encounter, ‘The Baddy’ believes people underestimate how dangerous Gaethje truly is, even against a champion like Ilia Topuria. Reacting to the White House main event announcement, ‘The Baddy’ said the contest feels considerably more open than fans believe.

“Everybody’s already counting Gaethje out, and we’ve already learned that you can’t do that,” he said on his YouTube channel. “I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that Gaethje might pull off an upset here and surprise everyone, but as you know, it’s a fistfight.

“It could go either way; anyone can beat anyone, and in the White House he’s probably going to have a bit more motivation to go out there and win.”

Paddy Pimblett said that the stakes make the bout even harder to predict, particularly with the lightweight division waiting on the outcome. ‘El Matador’ looks invincible right now, but Justin Gaethje has built his career on chaos, pressure, and surviving wars that most fighters wouldn’t make it through.

That is why, despite the champion’s recent knockout run, ‘The Baddy’ believes the main event has the potential to turn into the kind of upset that changes the entire division overnight.