The UFC is in Washington, D.C., for their historic event on the White House lawn for a stacked UFC White House card. In the main event, Ilia Topuria defends his lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje. Heading into the fight, Topuria is a massive -670 favorite while the challenger is a +430 underdog on FanDuel.
Ahead of the bout at UFC White House, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the lightweight title fight. The pros do think Topuria will get the win, and likely will do so by knockout to defend his belt for the first time.
BJPENN.com Fighter Picks Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje:
Steve Garcia, UFC featherweight: I got Gaethje. Have to go with America.
Kyle Daukaus, UFC middleweight: I want to see Gaethje win. It will be tough, but I’ll be rooting for him.
Adrian Yanez, UFC bantamweight: I’m going with Ilia Topuria. Gaethje is a bit older now and Topuria is the real deal, his power is insane, and he will get another KO win. I don’t like the style matchup for Gaethje.
Chase Hooper, UFC lightweight: I’m rooting for Gaethje, but Ilia is steamrolling through all these all-time greats. I hope Justin gets the win and can retire as the undisputed champ, but it’s a tough test, and I do think Ilia will win, but I will be rooting for Gaethje.
Julian Erosa, UFC featherweight: Ilia Topuria, likely by KO. He’s just on another level, man, you can’t pick against him.
Cody Durden, UFC flyweight: Gaethje is my dog; he coached me to a first-ever world championship, so I have to go with him. I think he has the power to hurt Ilia at lightweight.
Davey Grant, UFC bantamweight: Ilia Topuria by KO. He has so much power, and his striking is so precise I think he will connect early, similar to the Oliveira fight.
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Fighters picking Ilia Topuria: Adrian Yanez, Chasse Hooper, Julian Erosa, Davey Grant
Fighters picking Justin Gaethje: Steve Garcia, Kyle Daukaus, Cody Durden
Who do you think will win the UFC White House main event between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje? Let us know in the comment section, PENN Nation!