They want that whole market

Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez believes a Justin Gaethje vs. Ilia Topuria rematch could be disastrous.

Gaethje and Topuria threw down in a lightweight title fight at UFC Freedom 250 in June. While most thought Topuria would breeze past Gaethje, the American put the Georgian-Spanish fighter through the wringer for 4 rounds and ultimately won after his opponent’s corner threw in the towel before the final round began.

In the aftermath, many began wondering whether a rematch between the two men was on the cards. Given Topuria’s resume and reputation, a portion of MMA fans believe he deserves an immediate rematch. However, Alvarez doesn’t think that is a good idea.

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Alvarez explained why Topuria shouldn’t get a rematch and said:

“No [there shouldn’t be a rematch]. He beat the s**t out of him. If someone beats the s**t out of you, you don’t get a rematch. It needs to be close. He beat the sh*t out of him. You don’t get a rematch… That was bad.”

He added:

“I could see the UFC wanting to crown Topuria. They want that whole market. The guy’s a big deal, and he makes a lot of money, and he can make a lot of money for the company. But it could be a disaster for the UFC. Giving him that other shot, Justin and Trevor [Wittman] kind of got his number, and he’s not just going to go in and forget about what just happened.” [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Watch the full interview below:

Eddie Alvarez believes Justin Gaethje should retire before facing Ilia Topuria again

In the same interview, Eddie Alvarez explained why Justin Gaethje should consider retirement instead of facing Ilia Topuria again and why he must be picky about his opponents.

Pointing out the UFC lightweight champion’s age, the former 155-pound titleholder said:

“If I’m Justin, I retire before I fight Ilia again. I’m not sh***ing on Justin, but Justin is getting older. You can’t go backwards. You really need to select your opponents properly and you can’t just fight to fight, especially when you’re older. It needs to be deeper than that, there has to be a lot of meaning behind it. It can’t just be for money. There needs to be meaning behind it and invoke your ego and get your competitive drive in order.”

Edited by Nishant Zende.