Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria had bad blood leading into their match at the White House last month, but following a brutal fight, the American has nothing but words of support surrounding the former champion’s skill.
In the main event of UFC Freedom 250 on June 14th, Gaethje earned the lightweight title with a brutal stoppage at the end of the fourth round. Now, finally holding the 155-pound belt in the twilight of his long career, Gaethje finds himself with many options on the table as potential title defenses, such as Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan. Meanwhile, Topuria will be out of the gym for some time while he continues to recover from the damage inflicted by Gaethje’s volumetric striking.
In a recent conversation with his coach, Trevor Wittman, and former UFC champion Kamaru Usman, Gaethje showed a great deal of respect with his comments toward Topuria. He even indicated he looks forward to continue watching him fight into the future.
“I hope nothing but the best for him. He’s very skilled. He’s got the skills to beat any of these guys. I’m excited to watch it.”