UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje is now 34 years of age. His reputation is as one of the most violent fighters not only in his weight class, but in the sport. Gaethje knows that his days as an elite fighter are numbered, and as a fan of the sport, Gaethje told MMAFighting that he wants to go out at just the right time, rather than fighting beyond his prime.
“It’s just the fact of the matter that I would say, by 37, I would like to not be doing this anymore. I’m 34 now. Two or three years is a long time, but in the grand scheme of things it’s not that long. I’ve been doing this for 12 or [13] years, so ultimately it’s the back end of my career in this sport. That’s just the train of thought that I had.
UFC Lightweight Justin Gaethje Wants To Retire At “Just The Right Moment”
We’re so emotional after these fights that I wouldn’t believe anything that we say for a week. It was just my thought process after. I’m not going to be here forever. I’m glad that you guys are here to enjoy this with me. I was really talking to the fans in that moment.
I’ve been a huge fan of this sport. I’ve followed so many of the athletes and I’ve seen examples of people fighting too long, people quitting too early, people stopping at just the right moment. I’d like to fall in that ‘just the right moment’ situation.
I would say as soon as I believe I can’t be the best in the world with the skills that I possess, I don’t see any reason to go in there and risk what we’re risking each and every fight.”
Gaethje knows that he’s one of the most exciting names in the sport, with seven fight of the night awards, and three fights of the year. When he can’t deliver, he’ll call curtains.
“I’m human. The older you get, the wiser you get. The wiser you get, the more you understand that nothing is for sure, tomorrow’s not promised. So yeah, you start to think about these things more, but ultimately I think that’s not a concern of mine.
It doesn’t play a factor when I go in there. I’d like to be healthy, but I know the risk involved and I have to be content with the situation that I’ve put myself in. Once I’m able to be content there, I’m able to live a little bit more free, I guess.”
