Justin Gaethje knows how good Ilia Topuria is, which makes his win even sweeter.
Earlier this year, Gaethje scored one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, stopping Ilia Topuria to claim the lightweight title in the main event of UFC White House. It was a historic win for Gaethje, who finally claimed UFC undisputed gold, one that even Gaethje admits required a perfect confluence of events to happen.
“It was such a blessing in disguise for me to catch Ilia in such a vulnerable place,” Gaethje said on the Double Coverage podcast. “It was a mixture of my mindset, my experience, my coach’s game plan, and then him being in a bad spot mentally was the culmination of a perfect storm. …
“There was a lot of times we were doing interviews, and I was like, ‘Hey, you’re doing this wrong, man. Like, this could backfire.’ And yeah, it was awesome. It worked well.
“When I talk about it, it sounds like I’m talking shit about him,” Gaethje continued. “He is so skilled, and whoever fights him next is going to be f*cked. If he forgets how dangerous this sport is, how there’s a little bit of luck and chance, then he’s gonna make mistakes and not be his best or as locked in as he should be. But outside of that, without those mental mistakes, he is one of the best in the world; there’s no doubt about it. Everything I say, I’m never talking shit about the guy because he’s so good.
“I want to see him come back. I want to see him thrive; I want to see him prosper. The reason that my story was so significant and so relevant and relatable was because I failed, got knocked out by Max Holloway, came back, believed in myself, came back, and was able to achieve the championship. He has the same opportunity to inspire the world through what he’s going to do next. He has the same opportunity to prove everybody wrong, and I think he’s good enough to do that.”
As for who comes next for Topuria, the answer might be Gaethje himself. Topuria has already started lobbying for a rematch, with UFC CEO Dana White seemingly entertaining the idea. For his part, Gaethje dismissed talking about any specific opponent right now as he’s out of action until 2027, but suggested that the long-awaited matchup between Topuria and Paddy Pimblett would be a good one.
“I would love to see it,” Gaethje said. “Who would win? Paddy is a conundrum to me. I don’t understand him. Because after fighting him, being in a couple of grappling situations with him, my main goal was do not let him touch my head. Don’t let him grab my head, because he’s definitely got long-ass arms, and he wraps them around your neck, and there’s a lot of leverage going on in there.
“Then I never thought he was that strong. I never felt that. And then to see him do that to BSD was incredible. To see him do that to Michael Chandler, even before I fought him, I watched Michael Chandler fight him, and I was like, ‘Wow, this kid’s got to be incredibly strong. He’s a big guy.’ And then yeah, I felt strong against him. … I didn’t feel like he was super strong, and then I see him do that to BSD and I’m like, ‘What the f*ck is going on?’ …
“I think Ilia’s so good,” Gaethje continued. “I think Paddy’s style is so unique, and if you do hang out with him and you don’t pressure him, I think he’s so hard to hit, and he’s very good at landing funky-ass shit from crazy angles. So I think if you fight Paddy with space, he’s hard to beat. …
“Paddy’s a problem. These kids are hungry. … I hope they fight. I think it will be great. I think it will be a great show. I’ll definitely go watch.”
For Gaethje, he’s at a bit of a crossroads. The lightweight champion is currently still recovering from his fight with Topuria, citing injuries to his hands, and doesn’t anticipate returning until next year. However, many fans and some fighters have suggested that Gaethje retire on top as he has nothing left to prove in the sport. Gaethje hasn’t dismissed that as a possibility, but said he’s not focused on that for now, and will talk with his family about all possibilities by the end of the year.
“It’s obviously my decision, but I listen to everything,” Gaethje said about retirement. “I hear everything. I read comments, but ultimately I have an amazing family, parents, siblings. My brother definitely does not want me to stop. My brother is 100 percent forward, but everybody else, we’re just kind of figuring it out. They know I can’t fight again this year, so they kind of just want me to enjoy this recovery. Rest, recover, enjoy what I’ve accomplished, and then I think we’re all gonna, around Christmas time, have a conversation about what’s next.”
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