Topuria accused Gaethje of cheating after losing his UFC belt

After losing his UFC belt, Topuria accused Gaethje of cheating

Ilia Topuria accused his opponent Justin Gaethje of hiding some kind of object inside his glove during their UFC lightweight championship fight.

In response, Justin Gaethje left the following comment under the post: "Is this the best excuse you could come up with after 94 days? This is just as terrible as your last fight. Try harder, kid."

As a reminder, the championship fight between Gaethje and Topuria took place on June 14 of this year, in which the American fighter won ahead of time. Topuria, who suffered a serious eye injury during the fight, refused to continue the bout after the fourth round. He was subsequently taken to the hospital and diagnosed with an orbital fracture.

For reference, this was the first defeat for the 29-year-old Topuria in MMA after 17 consecutive victories. He had won the lightweight championship in June 2025 (before that, the belt belonged to Islam Makhachev, who vacated it due to moving up to welterweight). The 37-year-old Gaethje now has 28 wins and 5 losses to his name.