Kamaru Usman finds Justin Gaethje odds vs. Ilia Topuria disrespectful
· Yahoo Sports
Kamaru Usman is surprised to keep seeing Justin Gaethje as a big underdog.
Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) is a 5-1 favorite in his title unification bout against interim champ Gaethje (27-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) in the UFC Freedom 250 headliner on June 14 at the White House.
Visit lej.life for more information.
"It's crazy, these odds," Usman said on his "Pound 4 Pound" podcast with Henry Cejudo. "They still have Justin at like a what, 4-1 underdog? What was Justin in his last fight? He was also a 3-1 underdog the last fight? Something crazy like that. Justin Gaethje was the underdog. It is what it is.
"Whoever the oddsmakers are, or whatever, I just feel the disrespect is there. Even myself. I was the underdog in my fight (vs. Buckley). The disrespect is there, but it is what it is. That's what we love to do as professional athletes. We like to go in there, and we like to really silence the critics. So, I love it."
Gaethje was an underdog in his interim title fight against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324, which he ended up winning by a definitive unanimous decision. "The Highlight" has won four of his past five fights.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Kamaru Usman takes umbrage with Justin Gaethje odds vs. Ilia Topuria