After UFC 324, Jorge Masvidal is confident Ilia Topuria would do bad things to Justin Gaethje.
Gaethje (27-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) claimed the interim lightweight title by battering Paddy Pimblett (23-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) for five rounds this past Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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He is projected to unify the belt with lightweight champion Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) – and Masvidal is concerned for him. He thinks both Pimblett and Gaethje would be in trouble against Topuria.
“It’s a good thing Paddy didn’t win, because if he did, he was going to get torched by Ilia,” Masvidal said on his “Death Row MMA” podcast. “I think Gaethje just retires and rides off to the sunset because he don’t want to see Ilia. I think both these guys are just levels below Ilia, and that fight really showed it all. On the wrestling, on the striking, on the defense, the offense. I think Ilia is on a whole other planet when it comes to these guys.
“And hopefully they give him Justin Gaethje so he can get another guy and do him like a launcher, and he’s going to fold him. Ilia’s at another speed, another type of athlete. Gaethje always has the same mistakes he’s always made. He’s lunging in, getting hit with those rights. Ilia does the same thing, he’s going to cancel his career on the spot. I think Ilia gets Gaethje out of there Round 1.”
Topuria is coming off three-straight knockouts against current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, BMF champion Max Holloway, and most recently ex-champ Charles Oliveira to capture the vacant lightweight belt.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jorge Masvidal gives Justin Gaethje zero chance against Ilia Topuria
