Gaethje claims belt on third try: 'I never lost hope'

UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, 37, capped his career with a dramatic title run — and said he never once lost hope of becoming champion.

Gaethje won the undisputed lightweight title by TKO on June 15 at UFC Freedom 250, held at the White House in the first sporting event ever staged at the venue. He had been a heavy underdog against unbeaten champion Ilia Topuria, and there was widespread talk that a loss would effectively end his career.

Having reached interim champion status twice before, he finally dethroned the reigning champion and captured the title outright. He is savoring the victory for now, setting aside any talk of his next fight.

In a recent interview with North American outlet MMA Fighting, Gaethje opened up about how he kept his eyes on the goal through moments of deep frustration.

Gaethje challenged then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254 in 2020 and lost, then got another title shot in 2022 only to fall to Charles Oliveira.

"It wouldn't sound realistic if I said I never thought the title opportunity was gone — after those two fights and then the loss to Max Holloway that followed, things got really hard," Gaethje said.

After Gaethje was knocked out by Max Holloway in 2024, public opinion largely shifted to the view that his days as a title contender were over. Three losses in his last six fights made the downward trend look all the more pronounced.

Still, Gaethje steadied himself. "I never completely lost hope," he said. "I always knew I was performing better than before, and I still felt my body was in peak condition."

"I also knew this sport is just so unpredictable," he said. "Ultimately, I just had to keep stacking wins. That was my mindset."

Gaethje earned his third and potentially final title shot by defeating Paddy Pimblett in an interim title fight, following his win over Rafael Fiziev. He then defied all expectations and finally wrapped the belt around his waist.