Gaethje Dismisses Topuria Cheating Claims After UFC White House

Justin Gaethje dismissed Ilia Topuria's loaded glove accusation as he defended his knockout victory at UFC White House this past June.

Topuria posted a statement Wednesday claiming Gaethje wore loaded gloves during their lightweight title fight, which ended when the Georgian could not answer the bell for the fifth round. The stoppage handed Topuria his first career loss and cost him the belt. Gaethje responded by calling the claim a lame excuse, per MMA Fighting.

Gaethje Open To Second Topuria Fight

When asked if he had further comment on the accusation, Gaethje told Joy Of Everything he was focused on enjoying his reign. "I've done that to everybody's face that I've fought," he said.

Topuria suffered facial fractures in the loss and has spent months recovering. He now wants a rematch, and Gaethje plans to defend the title in early 2027. The champion said he would gladly run it back after beating Topuria so decisively the first time.

Topuria never raised concerns about gloves immediately after the fight, leading Gaethje to suspect the claim is just a tactic to generate rematch buzz. "That's not the way to do it," Gaethje said of the approach.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — Justin Gaethje brushes off Ilia Topuria cheating accusation amid rematch talk: ‘That’s not the way to do it’