Ilia Topuria warns Justin Gaethje 'crossed a line' with UFC White House trash talk; Gaethje issues profane response

In case Ilia Topuria needed any more motivation ahead of this weekend's UFC White House event , Justin Gaethje is doing his damndest to comply.

Topuria is set to make the first defense of his UFC lightweight title Sunday in a unification match against interim champion Gaethje on the South Lawn of the U.S. White House . The matchup headlines a historic seven-fight card in the nation's capital, and for Topuria, it doubles as a return to competition following a lengthy absence caused by issues in his personal life — namely the champ's recent divorce and custody battle with his ex-wife.

Tensions between Topuria and Gaethje have escalated as the event nears, with Gaethje recently calling his rival "an annoying little bastard" and mocking Topuria's divorce in an interview with FOX Sports . "I can say this: I would leave him [too]," Gaethje said of Topuria. "That's all I'm saying. I would leave him. No way I would put up with his s***."

As fight week kicks off, Topuria issued a two-part response on Monday.

Said Topuria in the debut edition of the event's "UFC Embedded" series, while flipping Gaethje off with a double-bird salute:

"Take this, Justin. Take it. Actually, I thought he was a great guy. But since he crossed the personal line, he's not going to have my respect. He's not going to have my team's respect. All I'm going to need is two minutes in the octagon with you, then I'm going to put you to sleep in front of your whole family, your country, in front of everyone."

Topuria then followed up with a lengthy post on social media, once again accusing Gaethje of crossing the line when it came to his pre-fight trash talk.

What happened between my ex-wife and me is our business. We may no longer be together, but she is the mother of my daughter.