Ilia Topuria has faced growing pushback after accusing Justin Gaethje of cheating during their UFC White House fight. A few days ago, the former UFC lightweight champion alleged that there was something “weird” in Gaethje’s gloves, which he believes contributed to his fourth-round TKO loss in June. Now, one of three regulators involved in UFC Freedom 250 has directly addressed the accusation.

California State Athletic Commission Executive Director Andy Foster, who helped regulate the event on behalf of the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC), dismissed Topuria’s allegations.

“His gloves and wraps were fine and totally within regulations,’’ Foster told USA Today. “Also well inspected by multiple inspectors.”

Foster’s comments confirm that Gaethje’s gloves and hand wraps were inspected before the June 14 event. However, the regulatory setup for UFC White House was different from that of a typical UFC event in the United States.

Normally, a UFC event is regulated by the athletic commission in the state where it takes place. UFC Freedom 250 was different because the fights were held on the South Lawn, which is federal land. As a result, the promotion self-regulated the event, while the ABC was brought in to sanction the card and oversee its regulations.

Andy Foster is not only the executive director of the CSAC but also chairs the ABC’s medical committee. The other two regulators who officiated the event have not been publicly identified in the reports surrounding Topuria’s accusation.

Foster worked alongside UFC senior vice president of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner and chief business officer Hunter Campbell while overseeing the June 14 card.

The UFC also typically subjects its gloves to several checks before they are handed to fighters, with an official required to physically sign off on the equipment. Foster further pushed back on the possibility of tampering by pointing out that MMA gloves are not as easy to manipulate as boxing gloves since they are considerably smaller.

“Harder to pull that off,” Foster added in the same interview.

There is also no known case of an MMA fighter being officially found guilty of tampering with gloves. Boxing, however, has had many notable cases involving tampered hand wraps and gloves.

In 2009, inspectors discovered a gypsum-based substance in Antonio Margarito’s hand wraps before his world title fight against Shane Mosley. Although hand wraps are separate from gloves, they are worn underneath them, and Margarito was subsequently suspended.

Justin Gaethje has also pushed back against Topuria’s accusation, dismissing it as a “lame excuse” for the loss. But Foster is not the only prominent figure from the MMA regulatory world to reject the former champion’s claim.

‘Big’ John McCarthy pushes back on Ilia Topuria’s cheating claim

John McCarthy is another familiar name when it comes to MMA officiating and regulations. The veteran referee spent 25 years officiating fights and played a role in the development of the Unified Rules of MMA.

McCarthy also rejected Topuria’s allegation, pointing to the inspection process surrounding Gaethje’s hand wraps.

“Trevor Whitman wrapped Justin’s hands with a knowledgeable State inspector watching the entire process,” McCarthy wrote on X. “He signs off on that wrap and that it was inspected by him. There is no validity to the allegation in any way.”

McCarthy’s comments echo Foster’s explanation that Gaethje’s equipment was inspected before the fight. He also serves as chair of the ABC’s rules and regulations committee, although it remains unclear whether he attended the UFC White House event.

His comments add another perspective from someone involved in the organization responsible for establishing and maintaining MMA’s regulatory framework.

Dana White, meanwhile, has taken a much more dismissive approach to the controversy.

The UFC CEO addressed Topuria’s accusation during a Kick stream with Nina Drama at a recent Power Slap event, comparing the controversy to the kind of noise commonly found on social media.

“No. I’m gonna say, ‘I missed all the good stuff, huh?’ I don’t go on social media as much as people think I do,” White said. “I try to stay away from the fight stuff because most of it’s bulls–t. Social media is full of s–t. It’s a crazy place.”

For now, Ilia Topuria’s allegation has been met with denials from Gaethje, Foster and McCarthy, while White has largely dismissed the controversy altogether. Whether Topuria walks back his comments or continues to stand by his accusation remains to be seen.