As UFC Freedom 250 draws near, the trash talk between headliners Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje has been surprisingly tame. That changed when ‘The Highlight’ took a shot at Topuria’s recent divorce during an interview with Fox Sports Australia.
Gaethje views ‘El Matador’s’ ultra-confident persona as a gimmick. The interim champion believes Topuria would be unbearable to share a room with and even suggested that he’s not surprised the Georgian-born Spaniard’s partner chose to leave him:
“All that guy is is a gimmick. He calls himself the king. He thinks he’s a God. What an annoying little bastard. I couldn’t imagine being in a room with him for 30 minutes, listening to him talk about himself. All I can say is this: I would leave him. That’s all I’m saying. No way I would put up with his s**t.” [H/t ChampRDS on X]
Check out Justin Gaethje’s comments below:
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Topuria and his former partner, Georginia Uzcategui, separated in 2025 and finalized their divorce through an out-of-court settlement in early 2026. The proceedings kept the lightweight champion sidelined for much of the past year, delaying his return to competition.
UFC Freedom 250 takes place on June 14 on the South Lawn of the White House. Around 4,000 fans are expected to attend the event live at the venue, with an additional 80,000 spectators set to gather at Eclipse Park across the street for a watch party.
The event marks Gaethje’s third undisputed UFC title shot and Topuria’s first lightweight title defense. Beyond the lightweight headliner, the fight card also features a high-stakes interim heavyweight title clash between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane in the co-main event.
Justin Gaethje dubs Ilia Topuria his second toughest test
As UFC Freedom 250 approaches, Justin Gaethje realizes he is facing one of the toughest challenges of his career. ‘The Highlight’ holds Ilia Topuria’s skills in high regard and has described the lightweight champion as the second toughest opponent he has faced so far.
When asked during a recent press conference for the event how Topuria compares to some of the other lightweights he has faced throughout his career, the American responded:
“Yeah, I think he’s my second toughest test ever, next to Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. Those three knockouts, [Alexander] Volkanovski, [Max] Holloway, [Charles] Oliveira, yeah, legendary. So, it’s just gonna make this win that much more spectacular.” [5:50 mark of the interview]
Edited by Ujwal Jain