Trevor Wittman cites Ilia Topuria's "arrogance" of celebrating his win before fighting Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250

Ilia Topuria entered UFC Freedom 250 as the reigning UFC lightweight champion and clashed against ex-BMF titlist and then-interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. 

Many deemed the then-undefeated Georgian-Spaniard fighter a huge favorite to defeat Gaethje and unify the lightweight belts. However, the fight, which headlined UFC Freedom 250 at the White House on June 14, ended with Gaethje winning the undisputed UFC lightweight title via fourth-round TKO. 

Topuria noticeably sustained significant damage to his face, and he was unable to continue to start the fifth and final round, resulting in a corner stoppage. Gaethje's coach, Trevor Wittman, has now chimed in on what he feels was Topuria's arrogance going into the high-stakes title showdown. 

Trevor Wittman expresses his respect for both Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje after UFC Freedom 250 thriller

A number of fans and experts heaped praise on former UFC featherweight and lightweight titleholder Ilia Topuria as well as on America's Justin Gaethje for their gritty showdown at UFC Freedom 250. 

Nevertheless, certain sections of the combat sports realm lambasted Topuria for his traditional pre-fight victory celebrations. "El Matador" has a penchant for celebrating his win even before he's competed in a given matchup. He generally does so during fight week, around a day before the fight transpires. 

In a video posted to Gaethje's official YouTube channel, his mentor Trevor Wittman hailed both Topuria's and Gaethje's toughness. 

Wittman asserted that he and the rest of Gaethje's team are feeling blessed after the tremendous victory at the UFC White House event. He affirmed that Topuria is a world-class fighter with incredible technical combat prowess. 

Alluding to the resilience both fighters displayed in the grueling fight, Wittman opined that Topuria hadn't sustained that much facial damage against any other opponent. He underscored that Gaethje may not be the most precise striker, but he surely hits extremely hard and inflicts considerable damage on his foes. 

Trevor Wittman highlights Ilia Topuria's premature victory celebrations before the UFC White House fight

Additionally, criticizing Ilia Topuria's pre-fight victory celebrations, Trevor Wittman stated: 

"You know, confidence is a great thing, but also arrogance will get you into problems. And Justin has spoken about that. And that's through Justin's experience. Like, the whole thing is, you always wanna expect a war. And when you go in with that mentality, if you have a war, at least you've already accepted it." 

Wittman added, "Him (Ilia Topuria) going in there and celebrating the night before, just the arrogance of that. Like, no one's gifted in this world. It takes hard work. It definitely takes belief like he has." 

Furthermore, Wittman implied that the world can be a tough place. The ONX Sports founder wished Topuria the best for his eventual return. 

Topuria has expressed interest in a rematch against Gaethje and is keen on recapturing his lightweight championship. Moreover, other 155-pound contenders like Charles Oliveira have called out Gaethje.

On his part, Topuria is said to be dealing with a broken nose as well as non-displaced fractures in both of his orbital bones. He's vowed to heal and make a triumphant return. 

 

Watch Trevor Wittman's criticism of Ilia Topuria after the latter's loss to Justin Gaethje below (*comments at the 7:55-minute mark of the video):