Justin Gaethje will look to finally get his hands on undisputed UFC gold this summer when he challenges Ilia Topuria for the UFC Lightweight Championship at The White House on June 14. Gaethje earned the right to face Topuria by defeating Paddy Pimblett to become the interim champion, making him the first man to win an interim title twice, but he has never held the elusive undisputed strap for himself, and while he will do everything in his power to dethrone “El Matador,” Gaethje knows exactly what kind of task is in front of him.
During the UFC Freedom 250 press conference, Gaethje was asked where Topuria stacks up in terms of his past opponents given that “The Highlight” has faced nearly all of the best lightweights of his generation. Rather than downplaying the current champion for a reaction from the crowd, Gaethje admitted that only one man looks to have been more of a test than what Topuria will look to be at The White House. “I think he’s my second toughest test ever next to Khabib [Nurmagomedov],” Gaethje said. “Yeah those three knockouts, [Alexander] Volkanovski, [Max] Holloway, [Charles] Oliveira, yeah legendary. So it’s just going to make this win that much more spectacular.”
Topuria’s three fight run where he knocked out Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira is seen by many as one of the greatest runs in MMA history. “El Matador” won both the UFC Featherweight and Lightweight Championships in this run, became the first person to both knock down and knock out Holloway, and handed Oliveira his first knock out loss in eight years. However, Gaethje is known for his punching power, and considering that Khabib is also known as one of the best lightweights of all time, Gaethje knows he’ll have to pull out something special on The White House lawn.
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