Justin Gaethje never lost hope for undisputed UFC title win

Justin Gaethje held onto belief that he could win a UFC undisputed title despite three prior defeats in championship fights, according to an interview with MMA Fighting.

Gaethje captured the lightweight strap at UFC White House in June with an upset over Ilia Topuria. Before that win, he had been stopped by Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira in undisputed bouts and knocked out by Max Holloway at UFC 300. When coach Trevor Wittman asked him about doubts on the What Hones You podcast, Gaethje admitted he would be lying if he said he never questioned whether his moment had passed.

How Gaethje stayed in title contention after Holloway loss

"I mean, it doesn't sound practical to say I never thought that it was gone," he told Wittman, per the report. "Because going through those two fights, and then the Max Holloway fight after that, it made it real difficult." Gaethje said he had been on a winning streak before the Holloway loss and expected a title shot, but Oliveira got paired with Topuria instead when the featherweight champion moved up.

The Arizona native bounced back with a decision over Rafael Fiziev, then dominated Paddy Pimblett to claim interim gold again at UFC 324 in January. "I never really lost hope," Gaethje explained. "I always knew that I was performing better than I had, I knew that my body still felt as good as it ever did."

Gaethje said he banked on the unpredictable nature of MMA and focused on stringing together wins. He added that he understood the sport was crazy enough to give him another window if he kept putting in performances. Gaethje defends the undisputed belt for the first time later this year.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — Justin Gaethje believed UFC undisputed title win was possible despite past results: ‘I never really lost hope’