Justin Gaethje has opened up on the punishing showdown that saw him defeat Ilia Topuria by corner stoppage after the fourth round on Sunday night.
Topuria’s corner threw in the towel after four rounds in a damage-heavy battle where Topuria landed 97 significant strikes and Gaethje landed 91. Topuria suffered two broken orbitals and was rushed to a hospital following the fight.
Speaking on the Pat McAfee Show, Gaethje broke down the performance and his striking approach. “One word describes it all, and it’s timing,” Gaethje said, later adding, “Not just creating angles, but sending direct lines of energy through in straight lines through their body and through their face.”
Gaethje described how he managed damage in the firefight. “When you see my face and it’s not messed up, you’re like, ‘Oh, something’s wrong with the skin.’ It’s really not that. If you watch frame by frame, I am constantly dissipating the energy that he’s trying to send in straight lines, and they’re all coming off and glancing off of my body, and that is the timing that I have.”
He also praised his focus in the danger zone. “When I can lock in and be cerebral, and I’m in danger, then my body does crazy things,” Gaethje said. “I was very diligent about it, and I fought a perfect fight. And he was completely caught off guard. He was not expecting it.”
After already fighting twice this year, Gaethje suggested fans should not expect a quick return. “I already fought twice this year, and very rarely do you get me twice in one year,” he said. “So there’s a very, very, very small chance that I would ever consider fighting this year again. [After] what I put myself through.”
