It appears Justin Gaethje has already played out his ideal UFC White House triumph against Ilia Topuria countless times in his head and is eager to step into the octagon for the historic event.
Gaethje is the reigning interim lightweight champion following his victory over Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 and is next in line for an undisputed title shot. Recent reports suggest Topuria has reached a settlement with his ex-wife and is now eyeing a UFC White House return.
During a recent interview with Stephen A. Smith, Gaethje sounded confident when he claimed that he could very well knock out the feared striker at the historic stage:
“Especially with how crazy this game is, how big of a fan I am, how many unpredictable things have happened, I can absolutely knock Ilia Topuria out on the White House lawn. I know how crazy this game is, I know the power I possess, I know the skills that I have. Of course, he could knock me out also, but there is no way to find out. I want the chance, because he is the champion.”
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Gaethje then outlined the best outcome possible for his legacy, saying:
“If I can do it [knock him out] it will be the best script. Then I will believe this is all a simulation. 100 percent, because that will be f**ked. It’ll be crazy.”
Check out Justin Gaethje’s comments about a potential Ilia Topuria UFC White House clash below:
Justin Gaethje names the only other UFC White House opponent he’d consider other than Ilia Topuria
Justin Gaethje is adamant about fighting Ilia Topuria at the UFC White House, and he would entertain no other opponent at the historic event, except one.
During the aforementioned interview, when Stephen A. Smith asked Gaethje whether he’d be interested in a trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier, he quickly shot down the idea, before naming an MMA megastar as the only acceptable alternative to ‘El Matador’:
“No, no [not Poirier]. We are 1-1. I’m fighting for the championship next, that’s the biggest fight in the world, for me, for this division. It’s the biggest fight that any of us could ever have, fighting for an undisputed gold. There is nothing else that entertains me. If they came to me and said, ‘Do you want to fight [Conor] McGregor on the White House instead?,’ I would think about it.”
Edited by Ujwal Jain
