At UFC 324, Justin Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett to become the new Interim Lightweight Champion. Now, a matchup between Gaethje and Lightweight Champion Ilia Topuria seems inevitable in the near future.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Topuria is a -455 favorite while Gaethje is a +350 underdog in the potential matchup.
Ilia Topuria, 29, is the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion and has an undefeated record of 17-0 with 15 finishes. Topuria last fought at UFC 317 in June 2025, where he beat Charles Oliveira by first-round knockout. He is 9-0 in the UFC and has held gold in two divisions, Featherweight and Lightweight. Topuria has been dealing with a family situation that has forced him to step away from the sport. But Topuria recently said he is targeting a return in spring or summer, meaning a title-unification matchup could occur soon. Topuria has three UFC title wins, with each coming against a legend: Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Oliveira.
Gaethje has won four of his previous four fights and is now a two-time Interim Champion. In the past, Gaethje has fought for the UFC Undisputed Lightweight title twice but has come up short both times. If this fight comes to fruition, it would be Gaethje’s first Undisputed title fight since he lost to Oliveira in May 2022 at UFC 274.
