Diego Lopes details why he is backing Justin Gaethje to beat Ilia Topuria

Diego Lopes believes Justin Gaethje has a genuine upset chance against favoured lightweight champion Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250, viewing the contest as a potential car-crash scenario with roughly even odds despite overwhelming expert consensus backing Topuria. Lopes argued that while Topuria has defeated knockout-prone opponents, none matched Gaethje's capacity for a single devastating punch. The analyst noted that Topuria's previous victims—Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira—either lacked pure one-punch knockout power or were outmatched in striking precision compared to Gaethje, who possesses the lethal hand speed and timing to catch an unsuspecting opponent. The UFC Freedom 250 main event takes place Sunday, June 14, on the White House south lawn in Washington, D.C., with Pereira and Gane fighting for the interim heavyweight title in the co-main event.