Gaethje Sparring Partner Reveals How Cutting Uppercuts and Tactical Dips Unlocked Topuria

Nikita Kulshyn, who served as a primary sparring partner for Justin Gaethje ahead of the Topuria fight, revealed that Gaethje's uppercuts opened a cut on him in camp in the exact same spot Topuria was later cut in the first round. Kulshyn explained that Gaethje deliberately dipped deep to his right — a tactic made safe because Topuria rarely throws high kicks — before transitioning to his uppercut-based attack and clinch work. He credited coach Trevor Wittman for designing the detailed gameplan, noting that Gaethje drilled the combination roughly 20 times and that every fine detail from camp translated directly to the fight.