Months after his defeat on the South Lawn of the White House, Ilia Topuria has openly accused Justin Gaethje, the UFC lightweight champion, of cheating. The Georgian suffered a serious eye injury in their UFC 250 title fight in June and declined to continue after the fourth round, handing the American the lightweight crown. Now, after a lengthy spell of rehabilitation, Topuria has announced his return to the Octagon, and he is not coming back quietly. Next time, he insists, he will demand a thorough inspection of his opponent's gloves to make sure nothing foreign is hidden inside.
Gaethje brushed off the accusation as a feeble excuse, retorting that, given how much time had passed, Topuria could have come up with a far better argument. The champion went further, suggesting the claim was every bit as dreadful as the Georgian's last performance in the cage. Yet for all Topuria's hunger for a rematch, backed by a record of 17 wins from 18 career fights, a shot at the belt remains far from certain. UFC president Dana White has already officially promised the next title opportunity to the winner of the bout between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy.
