MMA great Georges St-Pierre explains why Justin Gaethje must retire after win over Ilia Topuria
UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre has advised Justin Gaethje to hang up the MMA gloves after his win over Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250.
Justin Gaethje has earned considerable laudation from a number of fight fans and experts for his thrilling win over the previously unbeaten Ilia Topuria.
Former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre is among the prominent mixed martial arts personalities who've heaped praise on Gaethje.
Nevertheless, St-Pierre also appears to believe that Gaethje, despite having just captured the UFC lightweight title, should retire from professional MMA competition.
Justin Gaethje realized his dream of becoming an undisputed UFC champion after three title shots
Justin Gaethje has held the interim UFC lightweight championship twice in his career and is also an ex-BMF champion.
The American combatant had three shots at the undisputed UFC lightweight title, of which he lost in his first couple of attempts -- falling via submission to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020 and Charles Oliveira in 2022.
His third shot at undisputed gold came in a lightweight title unification fight against Ilia Topuria in the headlining match of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House on June 14.
Gaethje emerged victorious in the back-and-forth showdown, besting his foe via fourth-round TKO. "The Highlight" became the first fighter to beat Topuria and also finally captured the undisputed UFC lightweight championship.
Georges St-Pierre believes Justin Gaethje should retire from MMA after UFC Freedom 250 win over Ilia Topuria
In an appearance on The Break Talk podcast, Georges St-Pierre addressed the speculation surrounding Justin Gaethje's next move.
St-Pierre explained that Topuria was the favorite but Gaethje winning wasn't surprising because he has previously battled adversity and secured comeback wins against opponents.
Intriguingly, he compared Gaethje to a former opponent Nick Diaz -- whom "GSP" outpointed in their welterweight title fight several years ago -- for their ability to recover and win a losing fight.
Well, Gaethje had hinted that he's nearing the end of his career, which sparked discussions that he'd likely retire after UFC Freedom 250.
However, he ended up upsetting the dominant Topuria, and many fans now believe that Gaethje is unlikely to retire anytime soon.
Topuria has called for an immediate rematch against Gaethje, while contenders like Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan are also pursuing a lightweight title shot against him.
Considering the variables at play, Georges St-Pierre stated, "You might not like what I'm about to, what I'm going to say. But if I were him (Gaethje) -- because I like him..." The hosts chimed in and indicated that he's talking about the possibility of Gaethje retiring.
"GSP" concurred and highlighted that even former UFC flyweight champion and fellow MMA legend Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson suggested that Gaethje should perhaps choose to retire on top.
The Canadian combat sports icon said, "I heard Demetrious Johnson said it. But that's what I would do. That would be an amazing ending. What else does he want to accomplish? He did it all."
Additionally, St-Pierre acknowledged that the lucrative paydays that champions generally accrue could motivate Gaethje to keep fighting. The retired MMA megastar emphasized, however, that one ought to prioritize health over money.
"Rush" opined that although Gaethje could still beat many top-tier fighters if he keeps competing, the very fact that he'll compete puts him at risk of losing.
On that note, he explained that it's extremely hard to retire from the sport while still at the top, as there's the itch to keep taking one fight after another and test how far one could go.
Moreover, the 45-year-old suggested that he's interacted with Gaethje, who appeared to be quite articulate despite all the damage he's sustained in his lengthy MMA career.
He underlined that he'd love to see Gaethje maintain his good health and ride off into the sunset rather than risk putting his body through further wear and tear by competing in MMA.
The longtime Tristar Gym student underscored that America's Gaethje winning the high-profile fight at the White House was magnificent and that it's the kind of story movies are made on.
Watch Georges St-Pierre put forth his retirement advice for Justin Gaethje below (*comments at the 19:15-minute mark of the video):
