Alvarez reveals calf kicks and counter-timing as Gaethje's best path to upsetting Topuria

Eddie Alvarez, the former UFC lightweight champion who finished Justin Gaethje with a knee at UFC 218 in 2017, believes calf kicks and precise counter-timing are Gaethje’s clearest routes to upsetting the unbeaten Ilia Topuria when the pair meet for the lightweight title at UFC White House: Freedom 250 on June 14.

Speaking on the Full Send podcast, Alvarez drew directly on his own experience fighting Gaethje to explain why leading offensively against Topuria would be a mistake. “I think Ilia has too sharp eyes for Justin to lead and catch him,” Alvarez said. “Ilia is crazy poised, his eyes are on all the time, and he has great posture.” His recommendation was for Gaethje to instead time his shots in the moments immediately after Topuria commits to his own attacks — catching the champion mid-exchange rather than trying to initiate.

The leg kick, Alvarez argued, is the weapon best suited to that approach. “The calf kicks is what he would have to do,” he said, noting that in their own 2017 bout, calf kicks were the only meaningful damage Gaethje managed to land before being stopped.

Alvarez was equally candid about the vulnerabilities he sees in Gaethje’s game. He pointed to a habit of letting his eyes drift away from his opponent — “they are way over to the side” — which he described as “knockout city” against a finisher of Topuria’s calibre. He also criticised Gaethje’s tendency to shell up under pressure rather than move laterally and create angles. “He hard covers. He stays right there, doesn’t pop out, doesn’t get an angle, he shells up, and he hard covers. Which I always felt is a terrible defense in MMA.”

Gaethje enters the fight as interim lightweight champion with a record of 27-5. Topuria, who holds the undisputed belt, is undefeated at 17-0 and has finished all but one of his professional opponents. The June 14 main event represents Gaethje’s bid to unify the lightweight title and hand Topuria his first professional loss.