A different version of Ilia Topuria is preparing to walk into one of the biggest fights of his career.
The reigning lightweight champion is set to defend his title against interim champion Justin Gaethje in the main event of the historic UFC White House card in Washington, D.C. The matchup headlines a card already surrounded by hype, but Topuria insists the biggest change is happening internally.
Fighting without pressure
After nearly a year away from competition, questions surfaced about his hunger. The undefeated star has already collected titles in two divisions and built a reputation as one of the most dangerous finishers in the sport. From the outside, it looked like he had little left to prove.
Topuria does not see it that way in an interview with ESPN Sport, he said:
“I’ve seen the complaints, actually, I’m way more motivated now because I don’t have any more fear.”
“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 in his professional career, Topuria says financial pressure is no longer part of the equation. That shift has changed how he approaches training and competition.
“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.”
That mindset could be a problem for the rest of the lightweight division. Topuria’s rise was already fueled by confidence and knockout power. Now he claims to be operating with complete freedom.
He also benefits from no longer cutting down to featherweight, a move that many believe has extended his prime and improved his durability at 155 pounds.
Heavy favorite
Oddsmakers have taken notice. Topuria has opened as a heavy favorite against Gaethje, a rare position for a fighter facing a proven finisher with championship experience.
Still, the champion is not entirely comfortable with the narrative surrounding the fight.
“It is just weird, I don’t like the fact that I’m so favored.”
“Everyone already knows that I’m going to win and there is no big expectation, like ‘What’s going to happen in the fight!?’”
“Now they are trying to guess how quickly I will knock him out. I’ve never had that.”
Watch the full interview here
What do you think? Shouldn’t he be a bit more afraid of Gaethje’s power?