Justin Gaethje: Ilia Topuria will never be UFC champion again

Justin Gaethje doubts Ilia Topuria can return to the top of the lightweight division.

Having spent 20 minutes locked inside the octagon with him, Gaethje has some bold beliefs about Topuria. The UFC champion doesn’t shy away from giving credit to his former opponents, and has praised ‘El Matador’ many times for his ability. But you need more than ability to be the champion.

Justin Gaethje believes that Ilia Topuria needed to feel invincible to continue performing at the level he was. Topuria needs to think Gaethje cheated to keep up with his unbeatable gimmick, but it won’t work, insists Gaethje.

“I do think that he created a fake world before, and that’s kind of the way that he performed; it worked for him,” Gaethje said. “Believing he’s invincible. Unbeatable. It’s not possible. Nobody’s f***ing unbeatable or invincible. Having parties. Updating bios… He would update his bio as if he had already won before the fight would happen… He honestly has to believe that I cheated.”

Losing the invincible aura could be damaging for Ilia Topuria’s future in the cage. According to Justin Gaethje, Topuria will struggle to return to the head of the table at 155 pounds and should move back down.

“He’s not a lightweight; I think he should go down,” Gaethje added. “I think he can beat Volkanovski and be champion at featherweight. I don’t think he’ll ever be champion at lightweight.”

Gaethje continued.

“He can’t beat Arman. He’s going to have a difficult time with Paddy. There’s a lot of dogs. There’s a bunch of dogs. This sport is crazy, so obviously, a little luck, a little chance, is always involved. Can he get lucky, and is he skilled enough? Absolutely. I think he’s undersized for lightweight.”

Listen to what Justin Gaethje said about Ilia Topuria and more in the video below.