-
Home
-
MMA News
-
Justin Gaethje Game To Run It Back With Ilia Topuria, Calls Glove Allegation ‘Lame And Terrible’
Former UFC two-division champion Ilia Topuria, who was dethroned by Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 and suffered a broken foot, nose, and two orbital bones, is now back.
Yesterday, Topuria announced on X that his final medicals are done. He also took a dig at Gaethje, accusing him of loading his gloves during their June 14 155-pound title unification bout. Topuria quipped:
“Final medical tests done. I’m back. To all the clowns who’ve been talking sh*t and counting me out this whole time, here I am. Now let’s see who’s got the ba*ls. Thanks to everyone for the support. Next time I’ll make sure they check Justin’s gloves so he doesn’t put anything weird on them. See you soon.”
The Georgian-Spaniard fired more shots at Gaethje and the latter’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, in another X post:
“By the way, Justin, f**k you. And Ali, f**k you too.”
Check out Ilia Topuria’s comments below:
By the way Justin, fuck you. And Ali, fuck you too
— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) September 16, 2026
The internet has been divided over the theory surrounding Gaethje’s gloves. Some believe they may have been loaded and not properly checked, due to which Topuria took a tremendous amount of damage. Meanwhile, some have shared clips showing Gaethje’s hand wraps and gloves being clearly inspected. Now, “The Highlight” has responded.
😬🪨 Ilia Topuria seems to believe the theory that Justin Gaethje had something in his gloves during their fight, via his latest X post:
“Next time I’ll make sure they check Justin’s gloves so he doesn’t put anything weird on them. See you soon.”
(via @Topuriailia) 🔹 pic.twitter.com/toLKlGbs6X
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) September 16, 2026
Justin Gaethje not impressed with Ilia Topuria’s keyboard skills: “Do better, kid”
The newly minted undisputed UFC lightweight champion replied to Ilia Topuria’s X post, calling the loaded glove theory a “lame excuse,” as “terrible” as Topuria’s June 14 performance.
“94 days and the best you could come up with is a lame excuse. As terrible as your last performance. Do better, kid.”
Check out Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje’s back-and-forth below:
94 days and the best you could come up with is a lame excuse. As terrible as your last performance. Do better kid.
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) September 16, 2026
During another candid chat with [joy.of.everything/IG], when “The Highlight” was asked to weigh in on Topuria’s accusations, the 37-year-old added:
“People don’t believe that [my gloves were loaded]. I’ve done that to everybody’s face that I fought.”
Gaethje previously did not want to grant “El Matador” an immediate title rematch. But now, he says he would love to ‘beat the sh*t out of Topuria again.’
“Am I willing to [rematch him]? I just beat the sh*t out of him. Of course I would.”
Justin Gaethje plans to defend his title in 2027 if he doesn’t vacate and retire. Meanwhile, Topuria will be ready to fight starting February 2027 and has just resumed training.
Dana White is game for a Gaethje vs. Topuria 2 showdown. However, Gaethje believes that even if Topuria is trying to get his attention with all the trash talk, it is not the right approach to secure a rematch. During the same candid chat, he added:
“That’s not the way to do it.”
Check out Justin Gaethje’s comments below:
Justin Gaethje responds to Ilia Topuria’s accusations that he loaded his gloves:
“People don’t believe that. I’ve done that to everybody’s face that I fought.
Am I willing to [rematch him]? I just beat the sh*t out of him, of course I would.”
(via joy.of.everything/IG) pic.twitter.com/XHjYdKw2Co
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 17, 2026