UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria is getting Justin Gaethje’s family, and more specifically his father, involved in trash talk.
Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje are days away from clashing on the White House lawn at UFC Freedom 250. In a highly anticipated UFC lightweight title unification bout, Topuria and Gaethje will headline the first outdoors UFC card of the modern era.
Ahead of fight night, things have remained mostly cordial, yet competitive between Topuria and Gaethje. Topuria, known for pre-fight trash talk to go along with his elite skill set, has already predicted a brutal knockout ahead of the Gaethje showdown.
Gaethje’s family has been front and center for many of the UFC fan favorite’s biggest fights, including his BMF title fight against Max Holloway and interim title win over Paddy Pimblett. While Topuria presents a unique puzzle to many of the top UFC lightweights, Gaethje’s father doesn’t believe Topuria will show his son anything he hasn’t already seen in his career.
In one of Gaethje’s recent pre-fight vlogs, the elder Gaethje labeled Topuria a ‘little short guy’ and forecasted a similar result to Gaethje’s wins over Michael Chandler and Rafael Fiziev. It didn’t take long for Topuria to take notice of the viral comments.
Ilia Topuria hits back at Justin Gaethje’s father after ‘little short guy’ remarks
In a recent post to X, Topuria responded to Gaethje’s father’s ‘little short guy’ comments.
Justin Gaethje’s dad believes Ilia Topuria presents a matchup Justin has already mastered. 😳🔥
“Justin’s fighting another little short guy, and he’s done really well against Chandler, Fiziev, and a few others. I just see the same thing happening for this fight. This is what we… pic.twitter.com/8h77hDaTq9
— FREAK.MMA (@FREAKMMA1) June 1, 2026
“Fathers hope. Champions know,” Topuria said.
“I’ve heard this story before: bigger men, stronger men, better men. Men who said I was just a small guy who was about to get a lesson in humility. They all learned the truth the same way.
“Your son already knows who I am. On June 14th, you will too. 18-0 PAPA.”
What is your prediction for Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje? Let us know in the comments!
