Former UFC champion gives Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje prediction

The lightweight title is on the line in the UFC Freedom 250 main event. Champion Ilia Topuria and interim titleholder Justin Gaethje will walk out on the White House lawn on June 14 and one will walk about as the undisputed 155-pound champion.

Topuria is the heavy betting favorite heading into the fight and former middleweight champion Michael Bisping believes it's for good reason.

"I don't think I'm gonna surprise anyone by saying I think Ilia Topuria does this. He's surgical, he's precise, he's got absolutely insane power," Bisping told Casino.org.

"Justin's also got power, he knocked out Dustin Poirier, but the difference is that we routinely see this from Ilia Topuria. He knocks people out back to back. Max Holloway, [Alexander] Volkanovski, Charles Oliveira. And before he beat Oliveira, Charles tried to take him down, and within seconds, Ilia had him in a crucifix. And then he gets back to his feet and he knocks him out cold."

At 37, it will likely be Gaethje's final chance to become undisputed titleholder. Sunday will be his third crack at the accomplishment, but Bisping doesn't see an upset happening.

"Justin's great, Justin's awesome, we're all fans of Justin, but Justin's got a lot of miles on the clock. And Justin went toe-to-toe with Paddy for 5 rounds and took a lot of damage. Ilia's taking his one shot. I think he will land that one shot. I mean, he's saying that he's gonna break his jaw in the first 15 seconds. You never know, we might see that," Bisping said.

"Justin Gaethje is a tough guy though. You never know, maybe we have an upset on our hands. That's mixed martial arts, it happens all the time. But the smart money's on Ilia Topuria."

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 12:56 PM.