Ilia Topuria: Justin Gaethje 'crossed a line' with shot at divorce

It looks like the gloves are off.

Ilia Topuria called out Justin Gaethje for taking things too far, and taking their trash talk to personal territory ahead of their UFC lightweight title unification bout. The two knockout artists are set to headline UFC Freedom 250 (Paramount+), which takes place Sunday at the White House in Washington.

This serious warning and response from Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) comes after Gaethje (27-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) made a comment about Topuria’s recent divorce from his ex-wife Giorgina Uzcategui. Trying to make a point on how much Topuria annoys him, Gaethje said he understands why Uzcategui left him – something Topuria did not approve of, according to a tweet Monday.

“Justin crossed a line,” Topuria said on X. “What happened between my ex-wife and me is our business. We may no longer be together, but she is the mother of my daughter. To everyone insulting her or speaking about things they know nothing about: show some respect. You don’t have to respect our relationship. But respecting someone’s mother should be one of the most basic codes in life. Be better.”

Justin crossed a line.

What happened between my ex-wife and me is our business. We may no longer be together, but she is the mother of my daughter.

To everyone insulting her or speaking about things they know nothing about: show some respect.

You don’t have to respect our…

— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) June 8, 2026

Topuria also addressed Gaethje’s comments on the latest episode of Embedded. The Spanish-Georgian fighter took things an extra step, saying that there’s no more respect involved in the fight.

“I thought he was a great guy,” Topuria said. “But since he crossed a personal line, he’s not going to have my respect. He’s not going to have my team’s respect. All I’m going to need is two minutes in the octagon, and then I’m going to put you to sleep in front of your whole family, your country, and in front of everyone.”

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ilia Topuria: Justin Gaethje ‘crossed a line’ with shot at divorce