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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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Justin Gaethje upset Ilia Topuria for the UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC Freedom 250 and is now firing back at the former champion's cheating accusations.
On Wednesday, Topuria shared an encouraging update on his training and fighting status following the brutal injuries he suffered at UFC's event, held at the White House in June. Surprisingly, Topuria also made an intriguing remark about his main event opponent's win.
"Final medical tests done. I’m back. To all the clowns who’ve been talking [expletive] and counting me out this whole time, here I am. 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," Topuria wrote on X.
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Gaethje responded to Topuria's X message Wednesday night, blasting the former champion for using the accusations as an excuse for why he lost the fight.
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"94 days and the best you could come up with is a lame excuse. As terrible as your last performance. Do better kid," Gaethje fired back.
At June's UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, Topuria was rocked by Gaethje, sustaining plenty of facial damage, with visible bleeding and bruising. Topuria's corner ultimately called for the fight to end, and it never reached the fifth round, as Gaethje won via TKO/stoppage.
However, soon after the fight, a group of fans suggested that Gaethje used something illegally in his gloves, or was using a substance to become "juiced," and the champ fired back at those fan-generated accusations on "The Joe Rogan Show."
"What a compliment. People saying I’m juiced, what a compliment. People saying I’ve got bricks in my [expletive] gloves, what a compliment," Gaethje said to the fans' unsubstantiated claims.
With the win, he is now on a three-fight winning streak, previously defeating Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 and Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313. And with Topuria's recent message, he seems to be confirming his return to fight again is imminent.
Topuria was undefeated heading into that UFC Freedom 250 main event, and seems to be questioning the circumstances under which he lost. It could be an attempt to get the fight he wants, a joke, or Topuria seriously thinks that's why he lost.
UFC CEO Dana White previously confirmed that Topuria was working on his comeback. White didn't announce any next fight, but told Jim Rome that either a rematch with Gaethje or Topuria facing Pimblett would be "great" for the UFC.
With the recent accusations resurfacing in Topuria's X message, one has to wonder if he'll get that rematch against Gaethje for the championship, as their rivalry and feud seem to be heating up.
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