Ilia Topuria's response when asked why he accused Justin Gaethje of loading his gloves at White House event
Months after his brutal defeat to Justin Gaethje on the UFC White House card in June, Ilia Topuria has finally addressed claims that Gaethje loaded his gloves.
In arguably the biggest upset of the year, Gaethje handed Topuria his first UFC defeat after delivering a brutal beating, which forced his team to throw the towel in before the fifth round.
Topuria broke two orbital bones after the American bruised and battered his face, and the 29-year-old has since revealed that if his brother hadn't made the call to pull him out without taking further damage, he would have lost his vision.
Ilia Topuria addresses claims that Justin Gaethje loaded his gloves
The Spanish-Georgian's facial injuries were that bad, he was pictured with sunglasses in the weeks that followed the defeat.
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Luckily, Topuria's strength and conditioning coach Jesus Gallo medically cleared him to return in September, with suggestions that the former lightweight champion will potentially return to the octagon in early 2027.
That update was shared alongside a post from Topuria, who appeared to claim that Gaethje had loaded his gloves, a theory that first surfaced in the immediate aftermath of UFC Freedom 250 due to the extreme facial damage he suffered.
"Final medical tests done. I’m back. To all the clowns who’ve been talking s*** and counting me out this whole time, here I am," the UFC star wrote in a statement on September 16.
"Now let’s see who’s got the balls. Thanks to everyone for the support. Next time I’ll make sure they check Justin’s gloves so he doesn’t put anything weird on them. See you soon.”
Almost two months after making that outrageous claim, he was asked by Adam Catterall on the Fight Disciples podcast why he accused the 37-year-old of loading his gloves, when there was nothing to suggest this was true.
Instead of addressing the comment directly, Topuria gave credit to Gaethje, saying: "I don't want to take any credit from him. He did an amazing job, he was the better man that night.
“All I can say is congratulations. But our story is far from over. We are gonna have more chapters. That's for sure."
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What Justin Gaethje said in response to the loaded gloves claim
Topuria has called for a rematch with Gaethje next year, but the UFC veteran has no interest in fighting the Spanish-Georgian currently, as he feels other contenders such as Arman Tsarukyan are more deserving.
Meanwhile, when Gaethje first addressed Topuria's comment about him loading his gloves, the UFC legend actually described the accusations as a "compliment" on the Joe Rogan podcast.
"What a compliment,” he said. “People saying I’m juiced, what a compliment. People saying I’ve got bricks in my f****** gloves, what a compliment.”
The lightweight champion then responded to Topuria's wild suggestion on X straight after, writing: "94 days, and the best you could come up with is a lame excuse. As terrible as your last performance. Do better, kid.”
Should the duo ever meet in the octagon next year, it is bound to deliver fireworks, even after Topuria outlined his respect for the veteran.
Topics: UFC, Justin Gaethje, MMA
Thomas Griffin
