Justin Gaethje responds for the first time to Ilia Topuria’s claim that he loaded his gloves at the White House, sharing a strong and angry statement.
UFC lightweight champ Justin Gaethje has responded to claims that he loaded his gloves before his win over Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250. Gaethje gave Topuria a tough beating at the White House in June, with Topuria quitting after the fourth round. Topuria’s face was badly bruised, and it was later revealed he had two broken orbital bones. Weeks later, photos showed Topuria still recovering, with red eyes.
Topuria’s strength coach, Jesus Gallo, told Spanish media that the fighter could be back in the octagon by the end of the year. On September 16, Topuria shared a big update on X, saying he was medically cleared to return to MMA two months after losing to Gaethje. He also hinted that Gaethje might have loaded his gloves. Topuria wrote, “Final medical tests done. I’m back. To all the clowns talking trash and counting me out, here I am. Next time, I’ll make sure they check Justin’s gloves so he doesn’t put anything weird in them. See you soon.”
This idea first came up right after UFC Freedom 250, with some fans suggesting Gaethje’s gloves caused Topuria’s injuries. But there’s no proof of this.
Gaethje talked about the claims on the Joe Rogan podcast, calling them a “compliment.” He said, “What a compliment. People saying I’m juiced, or I’ve got bricks in my gloves, what a compliment.”
Now, Gaethje has replied to Topuria’s recent message on X, saying, “94 days, and the best you could come up with is a lame excuse. As bad as your last fight. Do better, kid.”
There’s also a video of Gaethje at an airport addressing the accusations. He said, “People don’t believe that. I’ve done that to everyone I’ve fought. Am I willing to fight him again? I just beat him up, of course I would.”
Last week, UFC president Dana White said Topuria is ready to return and mentioned that he’d like to see a fight between Topuria and long-time rival Paddy Pimblett.
White told The Jim Rome Show, “Our guys stay in touch with Topuria’s team. We don’t have him on the schedule yet, but he’s ready to fight, and so are we.” When asked about a rematch with Gaethje or a fight with Pimblett, he said, “Both sound great. We don’t lose with either. The rematch with Gaethje is exciting, and the Pimblett fight is amazing since those two really don’t like each other.”