Gaethje 'p****d' with UFC as Topuria vs Oliveira fight announced
UFC commentator Jon Anik has shared that lightweight ace Justin Gaethje was none too pleased when Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira was announced.
The scrap is set for June 28 at UFC 317, after Islam Makhachev chose to drop the title and step up to welterweight, with an eye on a straight-up title tussle against new champ Jack Della Maddalena later in the year.
Having relinquished the featherweight title earlier this year, Topuria's skipping ahead to a title fight once more as he targets two-division champion glory. While fans are all abuzz about the matchup, Gaethje feels overlooked and reckons it should be him in the title shot come next month.
"He was p****d," Anik revealed on The Anik and Florian Podcast. "He feels like certainly he was passed over in favour of Charles Oliveira for this opportunity against Ilia Topuria. I think what Justin Gaethje and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, are looking for is just some sort of guarantee that they will be next. Because it's 19 May, and the good news for this Topuria-Oliveira fight is that it's f******g 28 June – it's less than six weeks away.
"So, I don't think it's a mad request for Justin, having done what he did against Rafael Fiziev: staying on the fight card, not fighting Dan Hooker, getting a win, distance from the UFC 300 result.", reports the Mirror.
Anik was referencing Gaethje's earlier victory over Fiziev this year - a match where the 'Highlight' stepped up following Dan Hooker's pullout. The American bounced back after a devastating last-second knockout defeat to Max Holloway.
"And by the way, he fought [Holloway] at UFC 300 to help the UFC," Anik continued. "He could have fought for the undisputed championship at that point in time, so I wouldn't be surprised if Gaethje gets some sort of guarantee that he's next for the Topuria-Oliveira winner. But I can just tell you Justin was not thrilled."
With the lightweight title bout just weeks away, Topuria recently shocked the MMA community when news broke that he has split from his lifelong coaches, Agustin and Jorge Climent. With the 28 year old well into his training camp, the announcement comes as quite the bombshell.
The brother duo behind Climent Club in Alicante, Spain, have been pivotal in the training of 'El Matador' and his brother Aleksandre Topuria since their MMA beginnings. Following his featherweight championship win last year, Topuria made the decision to move from Alicante to Madrid.
This shift is reported to have led to changes in his training routine. "Both sides live in different cities, and their multiple professional projects prevent them from collaborating as they once did," revealed MARCA.
Topuria has expressed appreciation for his long-time guides, saying: "We thank them for all these years of mutual learning and growth, and they wholeheartedly wish them all the best in all their projects."
With a looming fight against a Brazilian contender, Topuria's corner is poised to include his sibling Aleksandre, Jesus Gallo, Javi Climent – who isn't kin to the Climent brothers – Mani Tavanaei, and Mathias Ribeiro.
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