Justin Gaethje knows UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria would be no easy task.
First, Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) will have to get past Paddy Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 on Jan. 24 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the winner expected to unify with Topuria.
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Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) is currently taking some personal time off after ongoing legal issues with his ex-wife, but if Gaethje does end up facing the undefeated champion, he knows he’s in for a challenge.
“I trust my A to B is what I have to trust in,” Gaethje told ESPN Deportes on fighting Topuria. “I have to trust my intuition, I have to trust in my ability to judge distance and time and just be there. This sport is so crazy, anything can happen. There’s a reason why we’re all in the edge of our seats every fight because anything can happen at any moment.
“So, it comes down to not making mistakes against a guy like that. Not eating his right hand, not walking into his right hand. His left hook, his two-three is one of the best combinations I’ve seen in this sport. It’s a beautiful challenge, and I love how scared I’ll be.”
Gaethje is aware of the hype surrounding a potential Pimblett vs. Topuria fight, especially after the pair faced off following Topuria’s title win at UFC 317. However, Gaethje has other plans.
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“I have to win, I’m going to have to spoil – I don’t know that the UFC wants it, I know that the fans probably want Paddy and Ilia like they wanted Tony (Ferguson) and Khabib (Nurmagomedov), and I’m going to f*ck it up, and that’s my job.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Justin Gaethje admits fear in Ilia Topuria fight – and he loves it
