Justin Gaethje shares his perspective on Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev’s UFC White House dispute

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Justin Gaethje might have been overlooked, but instead, he’s landed the top spot in the UFC White House main event.

After taking home the interim belt by beating Paddy Pimblett in January, Gaethje looked set for a huge unification bout. But fans were more interested in seeing a superfight between two-weight champions Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev.

In the end, it didn’t matter. The Makhachev fight never materialised, and Gaethje got his shot anyway. He found out about it while watching cageside at UFC 326.

Gaethje opens up on how he landed the main event slot

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Both Islam Makhachev and Justin Gaethje are represented by Ali Abdelaziz of Dominance MMA, which added an interesting dynamic to the fight discussions. Speaking with Bloody Elbow via Duelbits, Gaethje shared what he was hearing from his side while things were still being decided.

“From my side, it’s pretty simple,” Gaethje said. “I stay ready. That’s always been my approach. There’s always a lot of noise around fights at this level. Different conversations, different timelines, things that people say publicly, but not everything you hear reflects what’s actually happening behind the scenes.

“What I can control is my preparation and my willingness to step in when the opportunity is there. And when this fight came together, I didn’t hesitate.

In this sport, things change quickly. Fights fall through, situations evolve and you need guys who are ready to step up. That’s what I’ve always done throughout my career. So for me, it’s just another opportunity to go out there and perform at the highest level.”

He continued: “Ali has been in this game for so long that his message is always clear: ‘Stay ready and stay patient!’ There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to putting these fights together and he understands that better than most.