Brown Tells Gaethje To Keep Fighting After UFC Title Win

Matt Brown dismissed calls for Justin Gaethje to retire following his lightweight title win over Ilia Topuria at the UFC White House card in June.

The retired welterweight argued that Gaethje should capitalize on his newfound champion status rather than walk away, as MMA Fighting reported. Gaethje entered that fight as a heavy underdog before stopping Topuria in the fourth round to capture the belt he had long chased.

Brown Says Gaethje Should Pursue Big-Money Title Defenses

Brown explained his stance on The Fighter vs. The Writer podcast. "Don't forget what we're doing is prize fighting," he said, per MMA Fighting. "Justin's value is higher than it's ever been. Take advantage of this shit while you can."

The former UFC contender pointed to potential matchups with Arman Tsarukyan, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira as winnable fights that could add to Gaethje's resume. Brown noted that Gaethje is not in the conversation with Jon Jones or Khabib Nurmagomedov as an all-time great, meaning he has nothing to lose by defending the title.

Brown argued that a successful title defense streak would give Gaethje a new dimension to his legacy beyond being one of the sport's most exciting fighters. He suggested Gaethje take time to recover from the Topuria fight before lining up opponents in 2027.

Gaethje has hinted he plans to continue fighting. The UFC has not announced his next defense.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — Matt Brown scoffs at anybody telling Justin Gaethje he should retire now: ‘What we’re doing is prize fighting’