Genuine or not — the UFC Freedom 250 main event was perhaps in need of a little something, after the card as a whole underwhelmed fans when first announced — the rivalry between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje appears to finally be heating up.
With their lightweight title unification bout less than a week away, Topuria, the UFC’s “undisputed” champ, and Gaethje, who holds an interim title (making the belt very much disputed) have begun trading barbs on social media.
In a recent interview with FOX Sports Australia, Gaethje, the lone American among the top four fighters on the White House card, took aim at Georgia’s Topuria, saying “All that guy is, is a gimmick,” and adding “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.”
He made it a little more personal by making a comment about Topura’s divorce from Giorgina Uzcategui earlier this year. “I can say this: I would leave him,” said Gaethje. “That’s all I’m saying. I would leave him. No way I would put up with his sh*t.”
Gaethje had a lot more to say about Topuria, the fight, and his training camp, which has included keeping an eye on the weather for the outdoor show. It’s the divorce comment that got under Topuria’s skin, not surprisingly.
“Justin crossed a line. What happened between my ex-wife and me is our business,” Topuria wrote on social media in response. “We may no longer be together, but she is the mother of my daughter. To everyone insulting her or speaking about things they know nothing about: show some respect. You don’t have to respect our relationship. But respecting someone’s mother should be one of the most basic codes in life. Be better.”
Topuria had more to say in an episode of UFC Embedded. “Actually, I thought he was a great guy. But since he crossed the personal line, he’s not going to have my respect; he’s not going to have my team’s respect,” he said of Gaethje, at one point flipping his rival off. “All I’m going to need is two minutes in the octagon with you, and I’m going to put you to sleep in front of your whole family, your country, in front of everyone.”
That, in turn, brought a social media response from Gaethje. “Proving my point. Insufferable little bitch boy. Never said a thing about your wife. You want to speak words to my father then act like I crossed some line. We already fighting buddy.”
Exactly when Topuria’s exchange with Gaethje’s father occurred is unclear, but the lightweight champion was quick to respond. “You should’ve kept your father out of this. He was the one calling me a short guy and saying you’d smash me, all while holding a beer in his hand. Then you started talking about my divorce and telling the world you wouldn’t want to be my roommate. Idiot.”
“First, we’re fighting, not dating. Second, I’m not looking for a roommate. When I put you to sleep and you’re lying there next to the rose, I’ll look at your father and ask him one simple question: Who’s the short one now? I’m gonna break you Justin.”
If you needed a narrative outside of “sheer violence” to pique your interest, there you have it folks. Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje throw down in the main event of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House this Sunday, June 14, 2026.