Justin Gaethje makes bold admission about his legacy after finally becoming undisputed UFC champion
Justin Gaethje believes finally becoming undisputed UFC champion has fulfilled the biggest goal of his career and cemented his legacy in the sport.
People often say, “third time’s the charm,” which proved true for Justin Gaethje. He fell short twice to become the undisputed UFC lightweight champion before eventually dethroning Ilia Topuria to secure lightweight gold at UFC Freedom 250.
Now that Gaethje has finally reached the top of the division and become the champion. He has now shared whether he feels he has already cemented his legacy.
Justin Gaethje reveals whether he has cemented his UFC legacy
In his recent interview with Damien Harris for UFC on Paramount+, Gaethje was asked whether he has more to accomplish or has already built his legacy.
The veteran lightweight gave a confident answer, suggesting that winning the undisputed UFC championship fulfilled the biggest goal he had set for himself and that he feels he cemented his legacy.
“To be quite honest, I do feel like I have fulfilled my legacy,” Gaethje said.
Check out Justin Gaethje's comments below:
Before capturing undisputed gold, Gaethje fought twice for the undisputed title. He faced arguably the greatest lightweight of all time, Khabib Nurmagomedov, in his maiden undisputed shot at UFC 254. He got submitted via triangle choke in the second round.
In his second chance, he faced Charles Oliveira at UFC 274, and he again got submitted, this time with a rear-naked choke. With experience of fighting for the undisputed title twice and failing to capture it. He entered his third shot with nothing to lose, mentally, against Topuria, who was then undefeated with 17 victories and had knocked out three great in-line: Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira.
Gaethje was a huge underdog against Topuria at White House. But he showed the grit he has in the historic event. He inflicted too much damage on ‘El Matador', forcing his corner to stop the fight after the fourth round. With the victory, the American fighter's dream of being called the undisputed champ comes true.
After 2 months of a historic win, Gaethje says his hand still hurts, and he can't throw a punch because of the damage he inflicted on Topuria.
Justin Gaethje reveals both hands are still hurting as he rules out 2026 return
In his recent appearance on Sports Illustrated, Gaethje revealed that both of his hands are still hurting and that he remains unable to throw a punch without feeling the effects of the damage sustained during the fight.
“I got to go home and recover a little bit (after the fight),” Gaethje said. “I still can’t punch anything. Both of my hands are still hurt from the fight… I guess if I’m not fighting until next year, probably not going to fight until next year, too, seeing as he’s probably recovering.”
Gaethje pointed out that he has already fought twice this year and will enjoy his championship status while allowing his body to recover.
“I’m just gonna enjoy being the champion for the rest of the year, because I fought two times already in the first six months,” Gaethje added.
The next move of Gaethje remains unclear for now, as many believe it is the right time to hang up his gloves; he is already 37 years old and has proven enough that he is one of the greats in the sport. However, the champion is not rushing into any decision and has assured fans that he will discuss his future move with his family before making the call. But one thing he confirmed is that he won't fight again this year.
