UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria is finally over his personal life problems, and he is sweating hard to prepare himself for his coveted UFC White House encounter against Justin Gaethje.

It has already been a week since UFC head honcho Dana White announced that the Topuria vs. Gaethje lightweight title encounter will headline the UFC White House Card on June 14. An Instagram update from Topuria on March 18 displayed that he has already begun his training camp.

The video in his post displayed 'El Matador' sharpening his already devastating striking skills with boxing and conditioning his body with resistance band push-ups and deadlifts. The English translation of its Spanish caption read, "What you see is only a portion. What you don't see... is what wins the fights. We don't improvise, because we know the real secret: hard work and dedication."

Just a month ago, Topuria dropped another montage of his training with a caption that read, “The Champ is back !!!” He concluded the post with a red rose emoji, which he has used as a signature.

Training under the guidance of his head coach, Jorge Climent, BJJ coach Agustín Climent, and with his brother Aleksandre Topuria, Ilia looks set to earn his first lightweight title defense.

However, according to a noted UFC persona, 'The Highlight' Gaethje cannot be ruled out, given his class-apart striking.

Joe Rogan Isn't Ready to Count Out Justin Gaethje's Chances Against Ilia Topuria

The noted UFC color commentator and lifelong martial artist, Joe Rogan, analyzed various aspects of the Topuria vs. Gaethje encounter on episode #176 of the JRE MMA Show, with former UFC interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier, as his guest.

'The Diamond,' being Gaethje's ex-rival, expressed that he is one of his biggest fans, but he doesn't like his matchup against Topuria. He said, “I love him [Gaethje]. I’m a fan. I don’t like this matchup for him.” It's quite apparent that Poirier predicted a grim outcome for Gaethje.

However, Rogan, on the other hand, opined that Justin Gaethje is not someone who should be underestimated. He said, “Well, you know what? Justin knows what he’s getting into, and it’s hard to count that dude out. He’s such an animal. And it’s on the White House. Who knows? Who knows what’s gonna happen?”

Topuria may be at the peak of his powers, with KO victories over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira in his last three encounters, but considering White's remarks, "Gaethje hits like a truck," it might be foolish to count out 'The Highlight's' chances.

Who do you think will have the last laugh, Topuria or Gaethje?

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Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Souvik Roy