No sparring footage shown in camp
Gaethje and Wittman intentionally withheld all sparring and mitt footage from their YouTube channel during camp to deny Topuria any preparation intel.
Snapshot · The Joe Rogan Experience
JRE MMA Show #181 with Justin Gaethje & Trevor Wittman
Explore episode
Jun 20, 2026
Where this was said
Haters, Comments, and Reading Public Perception
At 1:28:14 · chapter starts 1:26:50
Gaethje admits to reading his comments obsessively — not out of insecurity, but because he genuinely gives every person the benefit of the doubt as a good person with real experience. He processes online commentary as legitimate feedback, which Wittman admits makes him nervous. Rogan points out the uncomfortable truth: the people who leave YouTube comments — especially shitty ones — are almost never the people whose opinions you'd respect in real life. Michael Jordan isn't leaving comments. The disciplined, successful people whose opinions matter are not posting online. Rogan adds that he would have been the worst of them at 17 given a YouTube account. Gaethje says he knows this intellectually, but he starts from a place of radical generosity toward everyone — even strangers on the internet. He pictures 50-year-old men with real experience even when he's reading a 13-year-old's comment.
Why Gaethje Hid All Sparring Footage During Camp
Gaethje deliberately released zero sparring or mitt work footage during his Topuria camp. Topuria was studying him — but all the intel would be wrong. Topuria built his entire preparation around expectations based on nothing real.
Similar snapshots
CrossFit athlete: top 2,000 worldwide
Thomas's wife is already ranked in the top 2,000 CrossFit athletes in the world — roughly the top 1% — and Thomas wants her to pursue the sport professionally now that he is graduating law school.
Athletes improve with mental rehearsal
Research shows athletes who mentally imagine practicing basketball or soccer have better performance than those who do not include imagination in their training.
~10 rounds dominated vs Usyk
Rico Verhoeven dominated approximately 10 of 12 rounds against undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk before a controversial post-bell stoppage.
Stopped after the bell
Rico's appeal confirmed the fight was stopped after the bell rang, and the ringside doctor found no concussion or disorientation — yet the result was never overturned.
Glory uses 5 judges vs boxing's 3
Glory Kickboxing uses 5 judges rather than boxing's 3, which Joe Rogan argues reduces the chance of a corrupt or incompetent minority swinging the result.
1 professional boxing match before Usyk
Rico Verhoeven had only one professional boxing match before fighting undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC title.
15 years of boxing training
Despite having just one pro boxing match, Rico Verhoeven had been training boxing for 15 years alongside his kickboxing career.
6-month boxing transition camp
Rico used a full 6 months to transition from kickboxing stance to a proper boxing stance under trainer Peter Fury, calling it essential rewiring.
75+ kickboxing fights in career
Rico Verhoeven has had approximately 75 professional kickboxing fights, giving him a massive combat sports experience advantage over pure boxers.
