Henry Cejudo recently shared his thoughts on the Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje fight and compared the matchup to the Sean Strickland vs. Israel Adesanya clash in September 2023.
Topuria is set to face Gaethje in a lightweight title fight at UFC White House in June. Given Topuria’s incredible resume, there aren’t many who believe that Gaethje has what it takes to snatch the lightweight title away from the reigning champion.
Given the odds, Cejudo believes that if Gaethje pulls off an upset, it would be bigger than when Strickland beat Adesanya to win the middleweight title. Strickland and Adesanya threw down at UFC 293, with most expecting the Nigerian-born Kiwi to breeze through the fight. However, Strickland surprised fans by dominating their five-round encounter and winning by unanimous decision.
In a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Kamaru Usman, Cejudo said:
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“Ilia is the current #2 pound-for-pound [fighter] right now… If Justin gaethje is truly able to take out a two-division champion who’s undefeated and could potentially fight for a third Henry Cejudo claims Justin Gaethje beating Ilia Topuria would be “bigger” upset than Sean Strickland beating Israel Adesanya… Not just that, if you go talent-for-talent, Ilia Topuria vs. Israel Adesanya, if we look at their fight styles, Ilia Topuria is way more well-rounded than Israel Adesanya. He brings the submission game, he brings the takedown defense, and he brings the takedowns on top of the power in his damn hands.”
He added:
“So yeah, Justin Gaethje defeating Ilia Topuria would be bigger than Sean Strickland beating Israel Adesanya.”
Paddy Pimblett issues preview of the Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje fight
Paddy Pimblett recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje clash. The Liverpudlian believes Gaethje has a chance to pull off an upset and surprise everyone.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel (via @RedCorner_MMA on X), Pimblett said:
“My two mates in the main event. Ilia vs. Justin… That’s a scrap… they’re going to come out and try to take each other’s heads off. Everybody’s already counting Gaethje out, and we’ve already learned that you can’t do that. I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that Gaethje might pull off an upset here and surprise everyone, but as you know, it’s a fist fight.”
He added:
“It could go either way; anyone can beat anyone, and in the White House, he’s probably going to have a bit more motivation to go out there and win. It’s in front of his president and his home country.”
Edited by Nishant Zende.
