Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) interim Lightweight champion Justin Gaethje collides with reigning champion Ilia Topuria to unify the title at UFC Freedom 250 next weekend (Sun., June 14, 2026) in front of the White House on the South Lawn in Washington, D.C., to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
And, for the most part, the trash talk between the two has been pretty tame and somewhat respectful — mostly just the standard “I’m going to knock you out” stuff. However, it has picked up big time, and now it has gotten personal.
“All that guy is, is a gimmick,” Gaethje told Fox Sports Australia when asked about Topuria’s rose. “He calls himself the king. He thinks he’s a God. What an annoying little bastard.
“I couldn’t imagine being in a room with him for 30 minutes, listening to him talk about himself,” Gaethje added, referencing Topuria’s divorce. “And I can say this: I would leave him. That’s all I’m saying. I would leave him. No way I would put up with his shit.”
It will be interesting to see how Topuria responds to Gaethje bringing up such a sensitive topic, especially during the final stretch of fight week.
Still, Gaethje sees a clear parallel between Topuria and Pimblett when it comes to confidence spilling over into cockiness.
“Yeah, look, I was young and dumb once, too,” Gaethje said. “Up until this point, it’s served him well. People see the way he talks, and they believe it because he believes it. Which is amazing, really. But it was similar with Paddy Pimblett. He was so full of himself. And it can be so detrimental to approach life that way. Thinking you’re better than everybody else.”
Topuria has made a career out of turning confidence into violence, but Gaethje may have just given “El Matador” something much more personal to fight over.
And with 12 days until they collide on the South Lawn, this unification fight suddenly has a whole lot more heat behind it.
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