Justin Gaethje has dialed up the trash talk ahead of his title unification bout with Ilia Topuria, and Daniel Cormier isn’t complaining at all.
Things had been cordial between Topuria and Gaethje before “El Matador” dropped a mock funeral video with “The Highlight” as one of his victims. Gaethje fired back at his UFC Freedom 250 opponent during an appearance on FOX News Australia. Gaethje took aim at Topuria’s divorce from Giorgina Uzcategui.
Cormier uploaded a new video on his YouTube channel where he explained why he doesn’t mind the personal dig from Gaethje (h/t MMAJunkie).
“I always like when there is trash talk accompanying a fight– especially a championship fight and especially a fight of that magnitude where you have the greatest backdrop for any fight in the history of the sport, the White House – where you have two championship fights in front of what will be the biggest fan audience that we have ever seen in mixed martial arts,” Cormier said.
Cormier doubled down by saying that trash talk keeps fans engaged and might draw even more viewers to what will be a historic event on June 14.
“You need to have those things that surround the fight that make the general fan go, ‘I’ve got to see this.’ I get it: The White House is going to draw a lot of people in that might not have been before. But to see now that the pleasantries aren’t as evident as they might have been before, I like it. I like the storylines. I liked when I saw Ilia Topuria get mad because Josh Hokit was going crazy on Alex Pereira. I liked that press conference because I am a fan of this thing.”
Gaethje and Topuria will both enter UFC Freedom 250 as champions, but only one can leave with the undisputed distinction. Gaethje captured the interim lightweight title by defeating Paddy Pimblett back in January. Topuria hasn’t fought since capturing the 155-pound gold back in June 2025.
Do you agree with Daniel Cormier’s stance on Justin Gaethje’s personal shot towards Ilia Topuria? Sound off in the comments below.