Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje will unify the UFC lightweight titles in the main event of UFC White House on June 14. Recent comments made by Gaethje’s father, John Ray Gaethje, have added another layer in the rivalry between the two lightweights going into the historic event.
Gaethje posted a video on his YouTube page on Monday showing scenes from his camp and hanging out with family and friends, and his parents are shown giving a speech at home before dinner on Saturday.
“This is the biggest fight of his life but we’ve said that there or four other times,” John Ray Gaethje said. “He’s fighting another little short guy, and he’s done really well against [Michael] Chandler and [Rafael] 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 4 years old. I’m excited and ready for it to happen.”
Topuria saw the clip on social media and reacted with a message to the Gaethje family.
“Fathers hope. Champions know,” Topuria wrote. “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“
Topuria is 17-0 as a professional with his last win being at 155 pounds, a first-round knockout over Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant title. He was sidelined from action to deal with personal issues, and Gaethje won the interim belt beating Paddy Pimblett this past January.
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