Gaethje reveals mental trick that saved UFC title win

Justin Gaethje told himself he would lose and be embarrassed before beating Ilia Topuria for the UFC lightweight title, the American has revealed. The former interim champion survived heavy damage to claim the belt.

“I told myself I was going to lose, and I told myself I was going to get embarrassed, so that I can go to my most primal place and dig deep. That guy had me in trouble. He had me rocked, smoked my liver, and I still stuck in it.”

— Justin Gaethje, via ESPN

What Justin Gaethje said

Gaethje faced Topuria in a lightweight title bout after the Georgian moved up from featherweight. The fight saw Gaethje hurt badly at points, with Topuria landing body shots and head strikes that had the challenger in visible trouble. Gaethje's win marks his first undisputed UFC title after previously holding interim gold.

What it moves

The admission shows Gaethje used a psychological reset to push through adversity in the cage. His comments suggest Topuria hurt him more than many observers realized during the fight. Speaking to ESPN, Gaethje said the mental approach allowed him to access a deeper level of durability when the Georgian had him rocked.

Source: espn.com. Full Justin Gaethje fight history and recent news at boxingnews.com.