Demetrious Johnson believes Justin Gaethje should walk away from MMA immediately after claiming the undisputed UFC lightweight title at UFC Freedom 250.
Gaethje defeated Ilia Topuria in the main event on Sunday at the White House in Washington DC, handing Topuria his first career loss when the fight was stopped at the end of Round 4. With the win, Gaethje became the undisputed lightweight champion after previously being a two-time interim lightweight champion.
Johnson, a former UFC flyweight champion, made his stance clear. "There is nothing left for Justin Gaethje to do," he said, later adding, "World Series of Fighting champion, he's made so much money in mixed martial arts. He probably double bonused tonight, and I think the bonuses were $485,000. He is an undisputed lightweight champion, he's been the interim champion of the world. There's nothing left for (Gaethje) to do."
Johnson pushed even harder for retirement, saying, "You guys might hate me for this, but the best thing Justin Gaethje can do is retire. He should retire on this amazing victory against a legend likeIlia Topuria. You retire on top, you save your brain cells, you ride off into the sunset. You beat one of the best athletes. You gave him his first f*cking defeat. Ride away with the White House belt and the undisputed lightweight championship belt."
Gaethje, who entered the fight with a 28-5 MMA record and 11-5 UFC record against Topuria's 17-1 MMA and 9-1 UFC marks, declined to commit to any decision in the aftermath, stating, "I promised my mom I wouldn't make a decision tonight."
