Ilia Topuria has made quite the assertion about what a win for Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 would do.
Gaethje is an underdog going into his interim UFC Lightweight Championship fight against Paddy Pimblett, which is scheduled for Jan. 24. The fight will headline UFC’s debut event on Paramount+. It’s a new era for UFC, as the top MMA promotion ditches pay-per-view.
“The Highlight” has said he plans to disrupt UFC’s plans to ultimately book Topuria vs. Pimblett. Speaking to MMA journalist Carlos Contreras Legaspi, Topuria made a big claim about a possible Gaethje win changing things.
Ilia Topuria says the UFC has different plans for Justin Gaethje if he beats Paddy Pimblett at #UFC324 🤔
“Really, if Justin wins, the UFC has different plans that I can’t talk about at this moment.”
(via @CCLegaspi) pic.twitter.com/WQhIL9KDVl
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) December 14, 2025
“The truth is I always accept God’s will,” Topuria said. “Whatever he wants to happen to me will be good if Paddy wins. Really, if Justin wins, the UFC has different plans that I can’t talk about at the moment. But if I were offered to fight Justin at the White House, it would also be very exciting for me. It would be something I would be very excited about.”
Topuria then admitted he feels Gaethje has an uphill battle ahead of him.
“I don’t know how capable he would be of ruining UFC’s plans and Paddy Pimblett’s plans,” Topuria said. “It’s going to be quite difficult. Not impossible, so I wish him all the luck, but I don’t know if he will be so lucky.”
Back in June, “El Matador” captured the UFC Lightweight Championship by knocking out Charles Oliveira. He isn’t expected to return to action for a while, as he is on hiatus due to personal matters.
Topuria has had beef with Pimblett over the years, and it’s no secret that a fight between the two would be quite lucrative. Many agree that if Gaethje pulls off the win over “The Baddy,” he’d be a live underdog against Topuria, but time will tell what ultimately transpires.
