UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has taken the time to look back at his journey to finally claiming the undisputed world title.
In the main event of UFC Freedom 250, Justin Gaethje shocked the world with an incredible victory over the formerly undefeated Ilia Topuria. Despite being dropped in the second round, the 37-year-old underdog was able to dig deep and pull off an upset that will be remembered for many years to come.
Of course, Justin Gaethje hasn’t exactly had an easy ride to the top, with notable losses to the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway in recent years. Despite this, he never lost sight of the end goal – despite how many times he was written off and cast aside.
In a recent interview, Justin Gaethje spoke about some of the obstacles he has had to overcome in his career.
Justin Gaethje reflects on journey to becoming UFC champion
“I mean, it doesn’t sound practical to say I never thought that it was gone,” Gaethje said. “Because going through those two fights, and then the Max Holloway fight after that, it made it real difficult.
“Before the Max fight I was on a, what, two or three-fight winning streak? I had knocked out Dustin Poirier. I was definitely planning on fighting for the belt next. I think Oliveira had [the shot], that’s when Topuria came up to lightweight and they made that fight. So I was like, shit, that kind of throws a wrench in everything.”
“I never really lost hope,” Gaethje explained. “I always knew that I was performing better than I had, I knew that my body still felt as good as it ever did.
“I knew that this sport was crazy, and I just had to put wins together. And, yeah, that was the mindset.”
Quotes via MMA Fighting
While many believe he’s likely to ride off into the sunset, ‘The Highlight’ has earned the right to do whatever he desires following one of the most unlikely title triumphs in UFC history. Topuria, meanwhile, needs to go back to the drawing board.
