Justin Gaethje Addresses Retirement Decision After Ilia Topuria Upset

Justin Gaethje achieved a stunning upset of undefeated fighter Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250, pulverizing him across four rounds, leading to a stoppage.

The win brought Gaethje two championship belts, including a custom UFC Freedom 250 championship, and the Unified Lightweight Championship due to defeating Topuria.

And immediately following his win, the 37-year-old Gaethje shared his thoughts about his love of MMA and his career as a fighter, and admired his two championship belts.

“I am made for these moments. This sport was made for me. I’ve shown why I’m the most consistent, most exciting guy that’s ever been inside the cage,” he told Joe Rogan post-fight.

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Rogan didn’t hesitate to mention retirement to Gaethje after his “amazing performance,” who previously teased retirement. However, the fighter wasn’t ready to answer that just yet, referring to his mother.

“I promised my mom I wouldn’t make a decision tonight,” he said definitively, with Rogan telling him, “Good.”

“It was one of the greatest fights I’ve ever called. One of the greatest fights in the history of the sport. It was an honor to call,” Rogan told him.

In a Daily Mail video, Gaethje was asked ahead of UFC Freedom 250 if he would retire after he won the belt and “knocked out Ilia Topuria.” However, Gaethje said he couldn’t be honest about that at the moment.

“That’s personal information. After this fight. Every question I ever had will be answered,” he teased.

This would be a perfect moment for Gaethje to ride off into the sunset, having scored such a massive upset and unified the championship at a significant Washington, D.C. event.

Still, everyone might want to see him in a rematch against Topuria, who was considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. That could take a while due to Topuria’s condition after the fight.

Sunday night’s win moved Gaethje to 28-5 for his professional fight record. Several other fighters who lost last night seem like they could be headed towards retirement, including Michael Chandler and Derrick Lewis, who are three-plus years older than Gaethje.

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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 7:32 AM.