Justin Gaethje faces cheating allegations from Ilia Topuria

UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje is facing allegations from former champion Ilia Topuria, who claims Gaethje used tampered or ‘weird’ gloves during their recent bout at UFC Freedom 250. Topuria suggested that illegal padding contributed to his fourth-round TKO loss.

Athletic commission officials have dismissed these claims. Andy Foster, Executive Director of the California State Athletic Commission, stated that Gaethje’s gloves and wraps were “fine and totally within regulations” and had been inspected by multiple officials. Referee John McCarthy also corroborated that the hand-wrapping process was supervised by a commission inspector.

Despite the controversy, Gaethje remains open to a rematch with Topuria. Meanwhile, Gaethje has proposed a radical overhaul of MMA scoring to reduce human bias, suggesting the judging panel be expanded from three officials to 51 people, with half of them positioned outside the arena to minimize environmental influence.

Commentators and fellow fighters have offered varying perspectives on the dispute. Some suggest Topuria may be angling for a rematch, while others, like Alexander Volkanovski, expressed doubt that illegal equipment could be successfully used under current protocols.