Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje was a shocking fight.
In the main event of the UFC White House spectacle, Gaethje finally realized his undisputed Lightweight dream in a massive upset over “El Matador,” outlasting the knockout artist en route to a fourth-round corner stoppage of his own (watch highlights). There were lots of surprising little moments throughout the 20-minute contest — Gaethje only throwing a single leg kick, for example! — but my personal first revelation of the night came during the pre-fight graphics introducing the two Lightweight standouts.
I was surprised to learn I’m both taller and have a longer reach than Topuria, the former 155-pound champion. Statistically, that’s probably true of most of the adult men reading this article; however, I fought multiple times at Flyweight, the smallest men’s division in the sport and three classes below Topuria.
On paper, we all knew ahead of time Ilia Topuria is a smaller fighter. I’m certain I’ve combed over his physical stats in the many articles I’ve written analyzing his incredible talent (like this). It wasn’t until Gaethje, however, that Topuria’s size disadvantage was exposed in such brutal way.
Unlike Charles Oliveira, Gaethje didn’t merely cede his range advantage by pressing. Instead, he forced Topuria to walk through hell just to have a shot at boxing in the pocket. Topuria was eating stiff jabs from the first bell, because he couldn’t simultaneously hide behind his shoulder and pressure forward. Gaethje denied him the pocket further with his brilliant use of wrestling-into-uppercuts, a tactic that frustrated Topuria and turned his face into mush (see it here). Often, the two jabbed simultaneously, and Topuria got the worse of the exchange solely because of the length of his opponent.
The size difference was apparent on the canvas, too, as Topuria really struggled to control Gaethje. Even when “The Highlight” was badly fatigued, he could scramble up in a way that wasn’t possible for Topuria’s Featherweight foes. Topuria gassed in a way we’ve never seen before, and while Gaethje deserves his credit for facilitating that process with lots of hard punches, tangling up with a larger man also played a role.
Previously, it was easy and understandable to ignore that Topuria was obviously too small for Lightweight. He’s so f—king good! Both of his previous Lightweight wins were stunning knockouts. It’s hard to watch that kind of result without thinking Topuria might just be an exception to the rule, so otherworldly talented that size simply doesn’t matter.
Gaethje has now definitively proven otherwise.
Let me clarify that this is a relative statement: Topuria can still find great success at Lightweight. He’s still a tremendous, world-class 155-pounder. I would favor him comfortably over top-ranked Arman Tsarukyan, a similarly short wrestler who possesses none of the skills Gaethje used to upset “El Matador.” If 29-year-old Topuria stays at 155 pounds, a second championship reign wouldn’t be surprising in the least.
He cannot, however, continue the generational run that began at Featherweight. When Topuria smoked Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway consecutively, he was on the path of all-time greatness. Topuria looked to be the next Georges St. Pierre or Demetrious Johnson, the kind of champion who could reign for a decade and set records for longevity.
That’s not the case at 155 pounds. If Topuria stays at Lightweight and continues to give away size to every opponent, there will be more losses and more bloodshed. His prime will be shorter, and his legacy worse off in the long run. Topuria has already achieved his double champ checkmark — why continue fighting at a disadvantage?
If Topuria aims to maximize his remarkable talent, he must return to Featherweight and prepare to face the winner of Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev. It’s not the flashiest option, but perhaps the two brutal losses suffered last night by Topuria and Alex Pereira — both moving up in weight — illustrate the quiet benefits of reigning over a single division for many years.
For complete UFC Freedom 250 results and play-by-play, click here.