Jorge Masvidal said that UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje is now the UFC’s biggest star after his big win at the White House.

Gaethje defeated Ilia Topuria via fourth-round TKO due to corner stoppage to unify the UFC lightweight belts in the main event of UFC Freedom 250. It was a spectacular performance that saw Gaethje win $825,000 in bonuses, and it had fans, media, and fighters alike buzzing afterwards.

Jorge Masvidal Praises Justin Gaethje

Speaking to Snabbare the day after UFC Freedom 250, Masvidal praised Gaethje’s performance and said that he is now the UFC’s biggest star.

“Gaethje is the biggest star in the UFC now, by far. He’s the biggest name in the sport after a card like that and a performance like that. That is literally one of the best fights I’ve seen in my life. Not only was it violent and vicious from the start, but it was the highest level of the sport. The techniques, the setups, the feints, the athleticism of both competitors. This was the best way to showcase what our beautiful sport is. It was one of the greatest events I’ve ever seen in my life. Incredible. I can’t even fathom what they did there. I don’t think it will ever be done again, and I’m dying to see what the views got online. I’m left speechless with this event,” Masvidal said.

According to Masvidal, not only was Gaethje beating Topuria one of the biggest upsets of all time in MMA, but he also said that Gaethje vs. Topuria was one of the greatest fights of all time, high praise from someone who has been involved in the sport for as long as Masvidal has.

“Not only the biggest upset, but maybe one of the greatest fights I’ve seen. As an upset, it has to be up there. I’m always a big believer that no matter how much of an underdog you are, in a fight there’s always a chance, especially with a guy like Gaethje. He needed to pull that type of performance to beat Ilia, and he did. He over-delivered. I can’t say anything but, damn, this guy is the truth. Literally one of the most violent dudes that ever lived in this sport,” Masvidal said.

Jorge Masvidal Thinks Ilia Topuria Underestimated Justin Gaethje

When asked how Gaethje put together the game plan to beat Topuria, Masvidal credited the new champ for fighting a perfect fight, but Masvidal also believes that Topuria may have underestimated him.

“I feel like he didn’t respect Gathje. He just walked right at him, like it was a boxing sparring session, where you’re letting a guy throw in big gloves and you’ve got headgear and it’s just hands. He didn’t respect Gaethje. He didn’t feint in the first minute. He just literally went straight forward and put a lot of pressure on Gaethje, and Gaethje handled it well. He used the jab perfectly. I just think Ilia wasn’t quite how he usually fights. It could be for different reasons,” Masvidal said.

“Maybe he underestimated Gaethje. Maybe the event, the magnitude of the event (got to him). I don’t know. It just felt like he was off those first two minutes. Then, when he actually got hurt and his eyes started getting closed, I saw him resort back to his old style. He started moving, level changing, moving his head side to side, feinting, and then he started landing more shots. But Gaethje just played it perfectly. He didn’t let go of that eye. He kept flicking the jabs and the left high kick. He fought a beautiful fight. He fought the fight he needed to win this fight.”