Joe Rogan believes Justin Gaethje has already done enough to leave MMA as one of its all-time greats. Gaethje shocked Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, beating the previously undefeated champion by a fourth-round corner stoppage at the White House. The win gave Gaethje the undisputed UFC lightweight title and added the biggest achievement of his career to an already long list of major fights and titles.
Why does Joe Rogan believe Justin Gaethje can retire as an all-time great?
Rogan discussed Gaethje’s career during the JRE MMA Show with Sean Sharaf and pointed to the setting and importance of his win over Topuria. For Rogan, the moment was bigger than simply winning another championship fight.“There’s a bunch of different ways to approach fighting, and one of the worst ways is to chase glory,” Rogan said. “Because, you know, glory does come to the greats. The glory that Justin Gaethje got when he beat Ilia Topuria at the White House. No one’s ever gonna experience that. One of the greatest moments in the history of combat sports.”Rogan then made his view on Gaethje’s future clear.“He could certainly walk away, especially Gaethje. He’s had this insane career. Incredible career. He could definitely walk away now and be one of the all time greats.”Gaethje’s victory was especially important because the undisputed lightweight title had remained one of the biggest missing pieces in his career. Before facing Topuria, he had already won the interim lightweight title twice and captured the BMF belt. The UFC had also described the Topuria fight as a chance for Gaethje to complete his career by finally winning the undisputed championship.The result also ended Topuria’s unbeaten run. After four rounds at the White House, his corner stopped the fight, giving Gaethje the championship by TKO. The UFC officially recorded the finish at 5:00 of Round 4.
What happened between Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250?
The fight did not go smoothly for Gaethje from the start. Topuria hurt his body during the second round and appeared to have an opening to finish the fight. Gaethje later explained to Rogan that the body shots may have played an important role in what happened next.“You know, him hurting my body was one of the main reasons I won,” Gaethje said. “When I dropped, it wasn’t the first time he hit me in the body. It was probably like the fourth or fifth one. And he had landed some really clean shots, and he could probably sense that I was in trouble and hurt.”Gaethje believes Topuria then spent too much energy trying to end the fight after seeing him hurt.“And I think that fact made him dump everything, because it was his last chance to take me out,” he added.Gaethje eventually turned the fight around and kept building pressure as the rounds went on. By the end of the fourth, Topuria’s corner decided he should not continue. Recent comments from Gaethje have also made clear that he does not blame Topuria for the stoppage, saying the decision came from his coaches.At 37, Gaethje now has a major decision ahead of him. He can continue as the undisputed lightweight champion or consider ending a career that has already included some of the biggest fights in UFC history. Rogan’s view is clear: after what Gaethje achieved against Topuria, he has already created a legacy that would be difficult to repeat.