Ilia Topuria ‘way more motivated’ for UFC White than ever before – ‘I have no fear’

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 28: Ilia Topuria of Spain enters the Octagon in the UFC lightweight championship bout during the UFC 317 event at T-Mobile Arena on June 28, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

A different “El Matador” is coming.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria is set to defend his 155-pound title against interim champion Justin Gaethje in the main event of the historic UFC White House card next month (Sun., June 14, 2026) in Washington, D.C. — and according to Topuria, he’s entering this fight with a completely different mindset.

By the time he steps into the cage, it will have been nearly a full year since his last appearance. During that time, some fans questioned whether the undefeated champion was still motivated after capturing titles in two divisions and becoming one of the biggest stars in combat sports.

Topuria says they’ve got it all wrong.

“I’ve seen the complaints, actually, I’m way more motivated now because I don’t have anymore fear around,” Topuria told ESPN recently. “I don’t fear anymore that I’m going to have to pay some bills or pay some person or whatever. For the first time, I’m doing it because I really want to do it because if I didn’t want to fight, I wouldn’t fight. So this is the first time that I really want to fight.”