Justin Gaethje lambasts Ilia Topuria, claims the MMA superstar wasn't prepared for their UFC title fight

Justin Gaethje has taken aim at Ilia Topuria yet again, lambasting the Georgian-Spaniard fighter for supposedly being underprepared for their UFC lightweight title unification fight. 

"The Highlight" has made the aforementioned assertion at a time when speculation has abounded about a potential rematch between him and Topuria. 

Justin Gaethje jibes at Ilia Topuria, suggests "El Matador" was ill-prepared for their UFC Freedom 250 fight

Justin Gaethje outpointed Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett to win the interim UFC lightweight belt and become a two-time interim UFC lightweight champion earlier this year. The American then fought Ilia Topuria for the latter's UFC lightweight belt in the headlining match of UFC Freedom 250 in June. 

Both combatants came dangerously close to knocking each other out, in addition to also engaging in thrilling grappling exchanges featuring attempted submissions. Ultimately, the facial damage sustained by Topuria seemed to incapacitate him. He was unable to continue into the fifth and final round, with Gaethje thereby winning the lightweight title via fourth-round TKO. 

During a recent appearance on former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson's podcast, The MightyCast, Gaethje indicated that Topuria lacked the psychological preparation required for their fight. 

Alluding to the heated buildup to their clash at the White House, Gaethje stated, "He made terrible mistakes, you know, emotionally, when it comes to understanding what we're doing here, and he paid for it." 

He added, "I'm referring to the 12 weeks before the fight; those emotional mistakes, in preparation. So he wasn't prepared for what happened that night. And it's his fault. Because he didn't think it was possible for someone to be there with him for that long, or whatever it was. He forgot who he was and how dangerous this game is." 

The 37-year-old implied that every fight is a separate, individual experience and ought to be treated as such. He further jibed at Topuria's traditional pre-fight victory celebrations, emphasizing that it was a sign of the MMA superstar trying to replicate perfect performances from the past by performing similar actions as before. 

Watch Justin Gaethje direct criticism at Ilia Topuria below (*comments at the 8:10-minute mark of the video): 

Justin Gaethje could be on a collision course with fierce contenders, including Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan

Former UFC featherweight and lightweight titlist Ilia Topuria has been adamant about making a triumphant comeback from what was his first MMA defeat. Having recently returned to the public eye, Topuria had previously expressed interest in a rematch against Justin Gaethje. 

On the other hand, top contender Arman Tsarukyan is set to do battle with rising star Mauricio Ruffy in the co-headlining fight of UFC 331 on September 19. The Tsarukyan-Ruffy winner is likely to challenge Gaethje for his title. 

On his part, Gaethje had lately hinted that his MMA career may be coming to an end, albeit he's still chosen to hold the UFC lightweight belt. With Gaethje vs. Topuria 2 rumors as persistent as ever, the consensus is that the UFC could be looking to book their immediate rematch with the UFC lightweight belt at stake. 

If Gaethje chooses to continue his career, it's noteworthy that he's signaled that he'll fight no sooner than 2027. Speaking of which, neither Topuria nor Tsarukyan nor anyone else had been officially announced as Gaethje's next opponent.