Recent UFC interim lightweight title winner, Justin Gaethje, is confident he knows what championship bout is headlining the prospective event on the lawns of The White House in Washington D.C., tentatively scheduled for June, to coincide with US President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday as well as the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
The American striker earned interim status for dominating his bloody battle with Paddy Pimblett, earlier this year. And, when the regular champ Ilia Topuria posted Thursday on Instagram that he was returning to the Octagon, with the worst of his public divorce seemingly behind him, it only accelerated speculation that a unification fight between him and Gaethje was on the horizon.
And Gaethje has now gone public with the ideal date for Topuria vs Gaethje.
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Justin Gaethje Talks Ilia Topuria Unification Fight
UFC boss Dana White has made no secret about the magnitude expected of The White House event, but has always expressed caution when it came to fights likely landing on the card, as he instead has said matchmaking for that show will only begin in the coming weeks. Until then, it appears everything is speculation.
However, when speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Gaethje made it clear that there is one fight in particular that deserves the headline spot. There’s “no other option,” he said, except him against Topuria.
“Walking out of the Oval Office, into the cage, wearing the flag. I’ve been speaking [it] into existence since I fought [Rafael] Fiziev last year. I thought it would be Topuria in January, and then I would fight and defend my belt on the White House card in June.
“Things change up [and you] can’t control everything. Ilia takes a step back, has some personal issues. I still get to fight for an interim championship, which makes me a champion on paper, which gives me Ilia Topuria on the White House in June.”
“I think we’re going to main event it.”
He added: “I think we’ll be the main event … I can’t imagine [not headlining it].”
The probability of Topuria vs Gaethje headlining perhaps only increased this week when another superstar fighter, Jon Jones, revealed a “severe” life-changing medical issue that perhaps prevents his own UFC return, possibly scuppering his own ambitions of main eventing in D.C.
Other possibilities include Conor McGregor vs Jorge Masvidal, Kayla Harrison against Valentina Shevchenko, and Bo Nickal against a to-be-determined opponent.
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