Speaker
Justin Gaethje
Appearances over time
1 episodes
Episodes
1
Podcasts
Quotes & moments
Gaethje's father dropped him off in Colorado 19 years ago to wrestle, where he knew nobody — the starting point of his journey to the championship.
Gaethje told Trevor that Topuria hurting him to the body was one of the main reasons he won — it caused Topuria to 'dump everything' and blow his tank trying to finish.
Gaethje fought for the lightweight title while managing a severe bone edema in the tip of his fibula that he had suffered on Christmas Day and couldn't heal during camp.
Gaethje has earned 17 post-fight bonuses across just 16 UFC appearances, a historically unprecedented rate of performance bonuses.
Gaethje and Wittman intentionally withheld all sparring and mitt footage from their YouTube channel during camp to deny Topuria any preparation intel.
Gaethje has never drunk water during training sessions throughout his career, viewing it as a mental discipline and part of his toughness regimen.
Gaethje said he tapped three times in his fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov and was choked unconscious, contradicting a referee who insisted he would never tap.
Gaethje revealed he woke up in an ambulance after what he believes was a near-death experience from drugs around 2016, which was the last time he ever used.
Gaethje weighed 184 lbs when he went to bed on Saturday and woke at approximately 176 lbs fight morning due to fluid loss, showing how much water the body sheds overnight after a cut.
Gaethje received a cortisone shot the Friday before he left for the White House fight to manage the bone edema in his fibula, which he said helped significantly.
Justin Gaethje has not used hand wraps in training since 2015, relying entirely on Trevor Wittman's ONX gloves for protection.
Gane started as a basketball player — all plyometrics and agility — and that athleticism translates directly to his striking style. At 248 pounds, he moves like a welterweight. Pereira may have paid the price for putting on too much weight while transitioning from MMA to boxing.
Concussed and confused in an ambulance after the Max Holloway knockout, Gaethje asked 'I got knocked out?' six or seven times. Every single time his answer was the same: 'Good for him.' That's not a trained response — that's character at the subconscious level.
Getting hit with a liver shot didn't cost Gaethje the fight — it won it for him. Topuria sensed Gaethje was hurt and blew his entire gas tank trying to finish in one burst, leaving nothing for the final three rounds.
Topuria's unstoppable confidence — knowing exactly what ice cream he wants and grabbing it — won him three straight fights. But when you get stale, nasty mint chocolate chip, you have no plan B. Gaethje knew that and told him so before the fight.
Before the fight, Gaethje told Topuria directly: when you reach the third round with expectations shattered, you won't be able to pull yourself out. Topuria pushed back harder — and proved Gaethje right in real time.
Almost every boxing death in the last 10–15 years happens after round 9, often to fighters who are winning and not taking much damage. Wittman believes chronically dehydrating the brain through extreme weight cuts may be cracking the brain like dried lips, creating lethal vulnerability late in fights.
The UFC's current gloves force fighters to constantly fight their own equipment — straining to make a fist causes premature arm fatigue. Wittman's ONX gloves promote a natural hand position, require no hand wraps, and provide internal strapping that lines up the bones correctly.
The entire game plan was built around one insight: Topuria is front-heavy and devastating going forward, but can't sprint laterally. Move left constantly, jab outside his rear shoulder to put him on his back foot, and place the left foot outside his rear foot before throwing the right hand. That right hand you heard land — that was the plan working perfectly.
Gaethje tapped three times against Khabib Nurmagomedov before going unconscious. He went to the referee afterward and told him directly — and the referee flat-out refused to believe it. Even later, after Gaethje confirmed it multiple times, the referee still insisted Gaethje would never tap.
The Sunday before the White House title fight, cornermen Luke and Ben got fully drunk on the golf course while Gaethje and Wittman secretly plotted to make them do a full workout. Ben went 60 minutes of grappling while drunk — and Gaethje submitted him seven times.
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.
UFC tested Gaethje and found he has the hardest bones in the promotion. He hasn't worn hand wraps since 2015. He never drinks water during training sessions. These aren't quirks — they're the foundation of a different kind of athlete.
Gaethje didn't respect Max Holloway. He couldn't find what he was afraid of heading into that fight — and for a competitor who needs genuine fear to reach peak focus, that was fatal. He heard the crowd during the fight. He had thoughts. He was never truly locked in.
Luke missed a 140-yard antelope shot. Then, from 1,093 yards away in windy conditions, he hit an antelope in the head. The team could only ask: how do you miss 140 and then hit 1,093? That's hunting for you.
Rogan floated the idea of a mitten-style glove that covers the fingertips. Gaethje pushed back hard — he believes touch sensitivity is a critical intuitive tool during a fight. But he agreed the current gloves are terrible, forcing fighters to waste energy just to make a fist.
Analysis
What they talk about
- Sports 67%
- Society & Culture 33%
Connections
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