Ilia Topuria gives his thoughts on possible UFC title fight against Justin Gaethje

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has given his thoughts on a potential title fight against Justin Gaethje.

Last weekend, Ilia Topuria cemented his position as the #1 pound for pound fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was able to defeat Charles Oliveira to capture the lightweight title, joining a small group of people who have been able to win belts in two different divisions.

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Now, it’s time to look ahead to the next challenge for Topuria. There are a handful of interesting options out there for him, and one of the big ones right now is Paddy Pimblett. Beyond that, though, some fans are more interested in seeing Ilia square off with veteran Justin Gaethje.

After the fight, Topuria gave his candid thoughts on a possible showdown with ‘The Highlight’.

Topuria’s view on Gaethje fight idea

“The eyes never lie: He doesn’t want to fight me,” Topuria told ESPN MMA of Pimblett. “I swear to God, he doesn’t want to fight me. I saw the fear in his eyes. The eyes never lie. When we brought him inside the octagon, he was scared. I’m telling you. He was like, ‘What the f*ck am I doing here? Why didn’t I go to school, to university? Why didn’t I choose something different?'”

“I don’t think we have anyone else in the division. Fighting against Justin Gaethje, I don’t think that’s going to be something exciting for the fans,” Topuria said. “We need new blood in the division. We need new faces, new guys that come hungrier than the guys that we are used to seeing in the past like Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, or the other guys. I want to bring new faces to the game.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie