Latest news with #Gaethje
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Jorge Masvidal: Justin Gaethje would be 'slaughtered' by UFC champ Ilia Topuria
Jorge Masvidal thinks it would be a bad idea for Justin Gaethje to step in the octagon with UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria. Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is pushing hard to get the first crack at new 155-pound titleholder Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC), who captured the vacant belt at UFC 317 in June with a first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira. There are several fighters who have thrown their name in the hat to challenge Topuria, from Gaethje to Arman Tsarukyan to Paddy Pimblett to BMF champ Max Holloway. "El Matador" recently told Nelk Boys that he thinks the UFC brass will push for Gaethje, and Masvidal thinks that's a very, very ill-advised decision. 'Justin Gaethje, he gets mopped by Ilia," Masvidal told CasinoHawks, who offer the latest online casinos. "Don't do it, Gaethje. I know all the f*cking Bud Light-drinking Americans love Gaethje. But bro, you're gonna get this guy f*cking slaughtered and concussed worse than before. 'He's gonna leave there looking straight like Homer Simpson. I think that's a bad fight for Gaethje." Masvidal, the inaugural UFC BMF champion from 2019, had admittedly not had much love for Gaethje, who knocked out his teammate and friend Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 in July 2023 to become the second BMF champ. Any tension aside, though, Masvidal simply thinks that is not the more threatening matchup for Topuria. If he had his choice, it would be Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who has been beefing with Topuria online and in interviews over the past several weeks, who gets the next shot at gold. 'I train a lot with Arman Tsarukyan, and I know his style," Masvidal said. "I think he'll give Ilia the best fight probably, because of his adaptability. And he can wrestle. He can strike well. Naturally bigger than Ilia. And they're hovering around the same speed. 'They're close in speed, where Ilia has a fast-forward button and makes all these guys look in slow-mo. My boy can keep up in the speed department. But I lean towards Ilia now."
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Daniel Cormier unsure Justin Gaethje's retirement threat will work with UFC
Daniel Cormier has questions about Justin Gaethje's approach with the UFC. Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is adamant he should be next in line for UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria after doing the promotion a solid on a couple of occasions. The issue for Gaethje is he's in the running with the likes of Max Holloway, Arman Tsarukyan, and possibly Paddy Pimblett, as well. Gaethje said if the UFC tries to match him up with Pimblett, he doesn't believe they need him anymore. He even threatened to retire if he doesn't get his way, which UFC CEO Dana White called "pretty whacky." Cormier advises Gaethje against making ultimatums with the UFC. "It sounds like he's more than willing now to stand by that and be done," Cormier said on his YouTube channel. "That would suck because MMA is better when Justin Gaethje is fighting. We just had to watch Dustin Poirier retire last weekend and that absolutely sucked. So, what's going to happen this time? We have to walk away from Justin Gaethje, too? That era of fighters that we all fell in love with so much are starting to take the curtain call and go, 'Hey, my time is done. This game is done with me or I'm done with this game.' "Justin seems very, very stern in the idea that if he has to fight Paddy Pimblett, and that's the only option, he's not going to do it. That sucks because I don't know that it's going to make the UFC say, 'We have to give Justin Gaethje a title fight.' I don't know that they're going to do that, especially when you go through all the things that Arman has a case, Paddy has a case." In a recent interview, Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) said he thinks his first title challenger will either be Gaethje or Pimblett, who he faced off with in the octagon after knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Justin Gaethje 'going to be upset' if UFC offers Paddy Pimblett, not Ilia Topuria
Justin Gaethje said he will have some serious decisions to make if he's left out of the UFC lightweight title picture and pushed toward Paddy Pimblett next. Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is stumping hard to be the next to challenge newly crowned 155-pound titleholder Ilia Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) next and "El Matador" knocked out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June to capture the vacant belt. With three wins in his past four fights, with the lone exception being his famous knockout loss to Max Holloway in their BMF title fight at UFC 300, Gaethje thinks his track record and reliability makes him the top candidate for Topuria's first title defense. Gaethje acknowledges that Holloway, who just beat Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 this past Saturday, and Arman Tsarukyan should also be in the running. However, he thinks he should be the selection. "I've been talking a lot, saying what I feel I deserve, what I want – but ultimately I think it's such a timing thing when it comes down to who is going to fight Ilia next," Gaethje told ESPN. "I think I'm one of three, with Max having a big win. It's me, Arman or Max I would assume that has to fight him, if he's going to fight this year. If he's not going to fight this year then who knows what's going to happen. But for me, I've said my piece and now I need to train and work out and all these guys are really good. "I hope it's Ilia, I hope it's November and I hope it's in Madison Square Garden. That's what I'm planning for and trying to speak into existence, but you never know with the UFC and I can only worry about what I can control, and that's how ready I'll be for my next fight." Following Topuria's win over Oliveira at UFC 317, he was passive about the idea of facing Gaethje next and noted it would be unfair matchmaking. Prior to the event, Topuria said a logical title eliminator would be Gaethje against Paddy Pimblett, and Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) agreed with that notion. But then he beat Oliveira and Pimblett was brought into the octagon for a faceoff with Topuria, putting momentum between those two longtime rivals. Although UFC CEO Dana White said afterward that Pimblett entering the octagon for the staredown was a promotional misstep, he didn't articulate any clear plans for Topuria's first defense. Gaethje, 36, said if the UFC goes another direction with Topuria and then tries to book him against Pimblett, he might have to reconsider his place in the organization. "Absolutely not (fighting Pimblett)," Gaethje said. "If that's the route that they want me to take, then I don't believe that they need me anymore. I know that sounds petty or whatever, but I'm No. 3, I'm 3-1 in my last four, the champion (Islam Makhachev) was calling to fight me and he vacated. They bring a new guy in and give a guy who is 2-2 the fight. If their algorithm and their match tells them to just use me until I get beat, then I'm going to have to really reevaluate what I'm doing here. "I've signed up for a merit-based system. I have lived by that. If they want to give Arman, which Arman had the fight, then I had the fight and I took someone else. He had the fight and pulled out. Those are two different scenarios. For me to get put in the same position and fight for my spot, then I'm going to be upset about that." Ultimately, Gaethje said he's one to focus on the positive. He is thinking about the ideal outcome for his own career, and that would be getting the title shot against Topuria before the 2025 calendar closes out, then go into 2026 with the desire to rematch Holloway at the UFC White House card and cap his own career in epic fashion. Best case scenario, best chapter of my book, if it happens I will believe this is a simulation, but I beat Topuria this year, defend it against Holloway on the White House lawn, then retire with the BMF and the championship belts," Gaethje said. "There's no better way for me to write it. But I'm a little bias."
USA Today
10-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Paddy Pimblett uses Islam Makhachev as example to argue why he deserves UFC title shot
Paddy Pimblett explains why he deserves to challenge UFC lightweight champion llia Topuria. Pimblett (22-4 MMA, 7-0 UFC) is coming off a dominant TKO finish of former title challenger Michael Chandler at UFC 314. Although higher-ranked Justin Gaethje and Arman Tsarukyan were also in attendance for UFC 317, it's Pimblett who was called into the octagon to face off Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC), who knocked out Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant 155-pound belt. Pimblett thinks his resume warrants a title shot. He used Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira as examples to make his case. "To be honest, Arman's probably most deserving. But at the same time, is he? Because he split decisioned Charles in a fight a lot of people think Charles won," Pimblett told Sky Sports. "It just annoys me when people say I'm not deserving when Islam (Makhachev) got a title shot off beating Bobby Green, and I beat him faster. "Oliveira just got another title shot off beating Chandler, who he went to decision with and nearly got finished with, when I beat Chandler up for three rounds and beat him like no one else has beaten before. People just have a different opinion when it's me. When it's these other fighters, it's all right. 'Yeah, give them a title shot.'" Tsarukyan will likely have to get back to the UFC's good graces after pulling out of his title fight against Makhachev just a day before UFC 311. As for Gaethje, Pimblett doesn't see him in the title conversation after a rebound win over Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313. "People are saying Gaethje, when Gaethje just beat ranked (No.) 11 or 12 (Rafael Fiziev) then coming back off the Knockout of the Year against (Max) Holloway in a fight he lost," Pimblett said. "You can probably make arguments for several people, but the fact that me and Ilia have got history – I think apart from Ilia vs. Islam, pound-for-pound No. 1 vs. pound-for-pound No. 2, me vs. Ilia is the biggest fight the UFC can make, especially now that Jon Jones is retired and you can't do Aspinall vs. Jones."
USA Today
01-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Dan Hooker targets Arman Tsarukyan for UFC return: 'I'd just like to kick his teeth in'
Dan Hooker wants that Arman Tsarukyan smoke. LAS VEGAS – Good news for MMA fans: Dan Hooker has a timeline for his octagon return. The fan-favorite UFC lightweight is recovering well from his hand injury and expects to be fighting again sometime in October or November, Hooker told MMA Junkie Radio at UFC X. Hooker was scheduled to fight Justin Gaethje earlier this year at UFC 313 in March, but he fractured his hand in training and was forced to withdraw from the bout. Hokker is almost in the clear, and is eager to fight again. "I think I'll be good to go in October, November," Hooker said. "I think Gaethje is just going to sit and wait for another title shot. It would be silly to come and fight another contender, but that's what's so interesting about the division now. The title is moving, and over the next couple of months there's going to be a lot of movement in the division. It's good." Hooker expects Gaethje to sit out and campaign for a title shot against the newly crowned UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, making the re-booking of their fight unlikely, at least for the time being. Ideally, Hooker woould like to fight Arman Tsarukyan, also a top contender in the division. "Arman has been calling me out, and that's the No. 1 contender," Hooker said. "No one likes the guy, so I'd just like to kick his teeth in." Tsarukyan is one of the tougher fights in the division, and considered by many the best grappler in the weight class. When asked why he'd want such a tough stylistic matchup, and likely less exciting than the Gaethje fight, Hooker had quite the response. "I don't give a f*ck," Hooker said. "Mine was exciting, the (Mateusz) Gamrot fight, because I was able to get up. If they can just hold you down and make it a boring fight, then that's my fault. But because my counter-wrestling is of that level and people just can't hold me down, and I'm able to scramble up to my feet, that's what makes the fight exciting."
