Sep 18, 2026 · 29 min
Gaethje explains the instincts behind his Topuria upset
Justin Gaethje on Beating Ilia Topuria, Paddy Pimblett, N3on Cornering Arman & Retirement
The conversation connects one of Gaethje’s biggest victories to long-term coaching, defensive judgment, MMA scoring, and the uncertain end of his career.
- 1Gaethje credits Trevor Wittman’s long-term coaching with programming the reactions that helped him defeat Ilia Topuria.
- 2He questions unofficial strike statistics and judging systems, arguing that crowd influence and human bias complicate fight scoring.
- 3Retirement remains possible, but Gaethje describes family, business, travel, and new goals beyond his fighting career.
Don't miss
Gaethje explains how Trevor Wittman’s years of coaching programmed the defensive reactions that helped him beat Ilia Topuria.
The brief
Justin Gaethje revisits his upset of Ilia Topuria, describing the strategy, defensive instincts, and mental factors that shaped a victory over a highly dangerous opponent.
Gaethje credits Trevor Wittman’s long-term coaching with making his reactions feel automatic, while still emphasizing respect for Topuria’s ability and the difficulty of fighting perfectly.
The discussion widens to Paddy Pimblett, Arman Tsarukyan, judging bias, unofficial statistics, and whether larger judging panels could produce fairer decisions.
Gaethje also considers a Topuria rematch and the possibility of retirement, describing family, business ventures, travel, golf, and goals beyond the cage.
The episode closes at Onyx Sports, where Gaethje and Zach Hirsch leave the interview for another sparring session after comparing their conditioning and previous damage.
Featuring
Justin Gaethje
Double Coverage
Ilia Topuria
Paddy Pimblett
Arman TsarukyanListen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.