Justin Gaethje Ends Ilia Topuria Rematch Talk With Cold UFC Truth

Is Justin Gaethje right?

Jun 14, 2026; Washington, D.C., USA; Justin Gaethje (blue gloves) fights Ilia Topuria (not pictured) during the UFC Freedom 250 at the White House South Lawn. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If it were up to UFC Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje, former champion Ilia Topuria would not get an immediate rematch.

Despite Topuria's lone MMA loss to Gaethje in June, Gaethje told the Flagrant 2 Army podcast that Topuria has bigger issues than a rematch if he wants his career to remain on an upward path.

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Jun 14, 2026; Washington, D.C., USA; Ilia Topuria (red gloves) fights Justin Gaethje (blue gloves) during the UFC Freedom 250 at the White House South Lawn. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I think he should go down," Gaethje said of Topuria. "I think he can beat [Alexander] Volkanovski and be champion at featherweight. I don’t think he’ll ever be champion at lightweight. He can’t beat Arman [Tsarukyan]. He’s going to have a difficult time with Paddy [Pimblett]. There’s a bunch of dogs."

Gaethje meant no disrespect with his brutally honest thoughts about Topuria. Instead, Gaethje recalled the fight he had against him and suspected it would be a bit of a tougher, more competitive title fight.

"This sport is crazy, so obviously a little luck, a little chance [is] always involved," Gaethje added. "Can he get lucky, and is he skilled enough? Absolutely. I think he’s undersized for lightweight. That’s what I felt."

Instead of a Topuria rematch, Gaethje said he's interested in a fight against Arman Tsarukyan, who has won his last six fights and has an 11-2 UFC record since 2019. But Gaethje admitted there is a price to being champion.

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Jun 14, 2026; Washington, D.C., USA; Justin Gaethje (blue gloves) celebrates after winning the UFC Freedom 250 fight against Ilia Topuria (not pictured) at the White House South Lawn. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I gave a lot of myself for this fight in January and June," Gaethje said. "Luckily, I came out on top, but it cost me a lot, so I need to recover. I need to rest my brain because a lot of training went into those fights."

Gaethje said his plans are crystal clear for the time being.

“I’m going to enjoy being champion the rest of the year," Gaethje said. "I’m going to make a business decision and a life decision whenever the time comes.”

Gaethje's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told Submission Radio that he won't allow his client to see Topuria become a version of Conor McGregor before his eventual loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in Oct. 2018.

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Jun 14, 2026; Washington, D.C., USA; Ilia Topuria (red gloves) walks out prior to his fight against Justin Gaethje (not pictured) during the UFC Freedom 250 at the White House South Lawn. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"He's not Conor McGregor," Abdelaziz said. "Nobody is. He was a favorite because everybody thought he was better than Justin. I believe Justin Gaethje will beat him nine out of 10 times. You know why? Justin has his number. I don't think he can beat Justin Gaethje."

Thus far, Topuria hasn't. And barring Gaethje's next move, there's a chance he may never earn a chance to exact revenge.

We'll see how the lightweight drama plays out from here.