Demetrious Johnson recently shared his thoughts on Justin Gaethje winning the undisputed lightweight title and urged the American fighter to hang up his gloves for good.
Gaethje is among the biggest names in mixed martial arts today and is widely considered one of the greatest lightweight fighters of all time. Over the course of his career, the 37-year-old American has faced several high-profile opponents like Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, and Paddy Pimblett.
After beating Pimblett via unanimous decision to win the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 in January, Gaethje was booked for a title unifier against Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14.
Contrary to what most fans expected, Gaethje put a thorough beating on Topuria and forced the Georgian-Spanish fighter’s team to throw in the towel at the end of the fourth round. ‘The Highlight’ ultimately won the lightweight title via fourth-round knockout.
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Given Gaethje’s age and resume, Johnson believes it’s time for him to call it a career. In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, the MMA legend said:
“There is nothing left for Justin Gaethje to do… He’s made so much money in mixed martial arts… He is an undisputed lightweight champion.He’s been the interim lightweight champion. There’s nothing left for Justin Gaethje to do. You guys might hate me for this, but the best thing Justin Gaethje can do is retire.”
He added:
“He should retire on this amazing victory against a legend like Ilia Topuria… You retire on top, you save your brain cells, you ride off into the sunset. You beat one of the best athletes, you gave him his first f**king defeat.”
Justin Gaethje roasts Ilia Topuria’s pre-fight prediction after UFC Freedom 250 win
Justin Gaethje recently issued a statement after his lightweight title win and roasted Ilia Topuria’s pre-fight prediction.
In a UFC Freedom 250 post-fight show, Gaethje referenced Topuria predicting a first-round finish and said:
“I am such a huge fan of this kid, but where do you go from here? It’s going to be a very tough climb back. I’ve never had the mindset he had. I never thought of myself as unbeatable or infallible. I said it from day one, I’m going to get knocked out with the way I fight, with how crazy this sport is.”
He added:
“I don’t want to say anything bad about this guy. He was a world champion and I seized my opportunity to take it from him. But he is in the hospital right now and I’m not.” [H/t: MMA Fighting]
Edited by Nishant Zende.
