UFC Hall of Famer Backs Fellow MMA Legend & Suggests Justin Gaethje Should Retire

Arguably the greatest fighter in the history of MMA claims he’d happily retire if he was in Justin Gaethje’s position after the UFC White House event.

We’re now more than a week removed from the card dubbed “UFC Freedom 250” which saw The South Lawn of The White House host a total of seven fights on a Sunday night, with two highly-anticipated title bouts at the top of the bill.

After Ciryl Gane stopped Alex Pereira to claim the interim heavyweight belt for a second time and spoil Pereira’s bid for UFC history, Gaethje scored a major upset in the night’s main event when he handed Ilia Topuria the first loss of his career and finally won undisputed lightweight gold.

George St-Pierre Weighs-In On Justin Gaethje Retirement Chatter

Soon-to-be-inducted UFC Hall of Famer Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson made headlines in the days after the UFC White House event when he pushed for “The Highlight” to retire, and now fellow UFC legend Georges St-Pierre has also stated he’d have opted to hang up his gloves as well following the biggest moment of Gaethje’s career.

Justin Gaethje (blue gloves) celebrates after winning the UFC Freedom 250 fight against Ilia Topuria (not pictured) at the White House South Lawn. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

“It’s really inspiring to see what he’s accomplished,” St-Pierre said on The Break Talk (h/t Red Corner MMA). “Retirement. I heard Demetrious Johnson said it, but that’s what I would do. That would be an amazing ending. What else does he want to accomplish? He did it all…I’m sure he can still beat a lot of guys, but health I think is the priority. And also, the fact that when you’re a professional athlete in combat spots, it’s very hard to retire on top.”

St-Pierre famously took an extended hiatus from fighting following a controversial win over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167, which marked his 10th successful welterweight title defense after he reclaimed the belt from Matt Sera in 2008.

Dana White (middle) stands between Michael Bisping (left) and Georges St-Pierre (right) during a press conference. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

“Rush” returned four years later at UFC 217 to meet Michael Bisping in a middleweight title bout at UFC 217. Although he didn’t retire right away, St-Pierre eventually opted to walk away from fighting after he submitted Bisping and added his name to the short list of two-division champions in UFC history.

Lightweight Title Picture Wide Open After UFC White House Event

Gaethje previously had a lengthy run as the World Series of Fighting lightweight champion immediately before he joined the UFC in 2017, but there’s little doubt that his performance at The White House will stand as the defining moment of his fighting career.

Charles Oliveira moves in with a hit against Justin Gaethje during UFC 274 at Footprint Center. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

“The Highlight” first won the UFC’s interim lightweight belt by stopping Tony Ferguson in 2020 to set up a meeting with Khabib Nurmagomedov later that year. After coming up short in that fight, Gaethje rebounded by defeating Michael Chandler but was submitted in the opening round when he got his second lightweight title shot against Charles Oliveira at UFC 274.

Ilia Topuria (red gloves) fights Justin Gaethje (blue gloves) during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The 37-year-old did go on to have a brief reign with the UFC “BMF” belt before a win over Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 saw him reclaim the interim lightweight title and earn his third crack at undisputed UFC gold. Following his upset-win over Topuria (and assuming he doesn’t follow the advice of Johnson and St-Pierre) it’s currently unclear who Gaethje may face in his first lightweight title defense.

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