Topuria vows pure striking fight against Gaethje at UFC White House on June 14

Ilia Topuria has declared he will pursue a knockout rather than use his wrestling pedigree when he defends the UFC lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje at UFC White House on 14 June. The undefeated Georgian-Spaniard, 17-0, faces Gaethje, 27-5, in what he is billing as a “pure striking fight” — at least from his side.

Topuria drew a direct line to his 2024 featherweight title defence against Max Holloway, in which he handed “Blessed” the only knockout loss of his career. He claims he had the option to take Holloway down and submit him but deliberately chose the more spectacular route. He even mimicked Holloway’s famous point-down gesture in the opening seconds of that fight, inviting a stand-up exchange.

“If I want it, of course, I take him down and do whatever I want with him,” Topuria said. “But I really want to give the fans a show, the entertaining part. With Max also, I could take him down, control him on the ground, submit him on the ground. But it wouldn’t have been as exciting as it was. So that’s the same thing I’m planning to do with Justin. It’s going to be a pure striking fight, at least from my side.”

Topuria acknowledged that Gaethje could attempt to change the complexion of the fight by shooting for takedowns, and said he has contingency plans for that scenario. Whatever path the bout takes, he is confident the result will be the same.

“If he tries to take me down, then we have different plans for that also,” he added. “But anyways, I’m going to end up knocking him out.”

Gaethje holds the interim lightweight belt after his own run of high-profile performances, and the unification bout carries significant weight at 155 pounds. Topuria, who moved up from featherweight after his Holloway win, remains unbeaten across two weight classes and has finished all but one of his professional opponents.