In The Corner: Justin Gaethje on His Legacy as a Future UFC Hall of Famer

What's up guys?

This is In the Corner with Destiny McCuben.

I'm Doug Vasquez, and we have a very special edition of In the Corner today, very special guest that Destiny's gonna be talking to.

I'm gonna throw it back to Destiny now and let her introduce him.

Guys, we've got the future Hall of Famer and the UFC lightweight champion Justin the Highlight Gichi in the corner with us today on behalf of Total Wireless, and I'm really excited.

I just wanna jump on into it if that's cool with you, Justin.

I'm ready.

I was born ready.

All right.

Hey, let's go.

Um, first of all, how is life after the White House?

It has been absolutely incredible.

Um, I got to go home and recover a little bit for 3 weeks.

I still can't punch anything.

Both of my hands are still hurt from the fight.

It's crazy, but, uh, for the last like 4 or 5 weeks I've just been traveling and doing all kinds of amazing things, lots of golf, lots of golf.

The, the broken hands don't affect golfing.

No, it took a little bit to like 23 weeks after the fight.

I was still doing it, but it was not smart.

But yeah, it's good to go now.

I'm good to go now.

Good, good .

I'm glad I have been seeing you've been doing a lot of golfing.

You've just recently checked out, uh, Max's tournament, is that correct?

Yeah, it was my first time going to Hawaii.

It was incredible.

Oh my gosh, and for golfing, and I golfed, and I golfed, and I surfed, and I ate some delicious food, so it was great.

Oh, I bet.

How was surfing?

Is that something like you're good at, or was it the first time?

It was, uh, it was my first time surfing.

I would say I'm not good.

Not your thing.

I got up.

I did get up once though.

I rode one wave, yeah, and golfing was good.

Who did you golf with in the tournament?

Um, so each of, uh, like me, Cub Swanson, and all the UFC athletes that were there, we Uh, teams like bid it, they had like a bidding competition or war, and whoever bid the highest got to play with, with each of us.

So somebody beat on me, and so like, thank God my hand was OK enough that day to golf and I helped them out because they paid a lot of money.

But that day after that I would have been, they would have hated me.

They would have killed me.

They would have killed have been so mad bid on you.

I would have hurt them so hard, so bad.

Uh, you have your own tournament coming up soon, right?

I do actually have two tournaments coming up.

I do have 1 August 24th.

It's the 5th 1 I'm doing, and this one for Saint Jude.

Uh, it's a great cause.

Uh, I love, you know, helping kids.

I've never, I've been so lucky and blessed to never have to.

You know, have one of my nieces or nephews be in like a position like that, but I just could not imagine, um, you know, going through that.

So having Saint Jude.

Being so, so supportive of those families is, is incredible.

So if I can use my name to, you know, raise a little bit of money to help out those causes, then I'm gonna do it.

So then I have that one and then I do one for my, in my small town of Safford, Arizona on November 21st, I wanna say, and that was for my Boys and Girls Club, the Boys and Girls Club that I grew up going to, and my nieces go there now and so I love to.

Try and raise a little bit of money for them.

Awesome.

Both, both good causes out here doing God's work.

Um, does, does everybody come down for your tournaments as well?

You got, you know, some of the, like, you know, Max, DC, everybody come through?

No, no, I can't.

It's hard to get celebrities to come to.

To Colorado, it's not as attractive as Hawaii, but no, I have, uh, it's actually awesome.

My parents are gonna fly in either tomorrow or the next day, and they'll be there for like 10 days, and like all my brother and all my friends, and we'll do, um, 12 of us are gonna go out on the golf course on Sunday, the day before the golf course, and have a little competition.

So it's gonna be a great time.

This is in Colorado.

This is in Denver, yeah, yeah, OK, so the weather's gotta be lovely at this time, right?

Denver is surprisingly hot.

Like you're so close to the sun that it just kicks your butt.

Like if you're in the sun, you're, you're getting, you need sunscreen.

But do you guys deal with like humidity.

No humidity.

OK, OK, that's nice so.

For your tournament, is it like a team thing?

Do you do like a foursome or anything like that?

Yeah, we do foursomes, and this year was crazy.

I didn't even.

I lost track of when we were gonna open up the uh registration and they opened it and it filled up in like 3 minutes so all my friends that I was gonna let know got got screwed.

It was crazy.

So who's on your team?

My, my, my team is Dustin Jacoby, another UFC fighter, but he just broke his arm in his last fight.

But he says, he says he's gonna be ready.

So, so I'm excited.

My buddy Tanner, and then I have another buddy named Trevor.

OK, very nice.

Yeah, I try to put a good team together because I play against my brother, my twin brother's team.

He puts the team together, so can't lose to him.

Can't lose to him.

Absolutely not.

He's my little brother.

I'm 16 minutes older, so, oh wow, yeah, yeah, and you definitely gotta go and, you know, put it, put it down.

I gotta know who haven't you golfed with that you would absolutely love to golf with.

Oh, I would say President Trump.

Amazing.

I'm sure, I'm sure that could happen.

You told me we're golfing you guys are very good, me and my, uh, we're not good friends, but he loves to golf.

I told him I'd bet him money.

Me and my parents went to the White House like 3 weeks ago, and we had lunch there, and he said we were gonna golf for money, so.

If I could take the president's money out, that would be awesome.

Shit, I know that's right.

Uh, speaking of money, uh, so is betting like a big thing on the course?

Yeah, in order to play with, we're not kids anymore, so we have to at least wager something, but I'm a good friend, so this is what I do for my friends if they don't wanna wager money.

They pick the price.

If they win, they get the money.

If they lose, and they just get.

Um, that value of a late kick.

So they, if they pick 100, if they pick 100, then they win $100 but if not, then I, I absolutely smoke them.

But usually they do 20 and I'm pretty nice.

But if they do $100 and they try to take my money percentage like if it's, if it's, it's $100 you're going, it's what I value.

It's what I value a $100 ticket.

OK, tell me this.

Who's the biggest degenerate gambler you've ever golfed with?

The biggest degenerate gambler that I've ever golfed with is probably .

I mean Daniel Cormier, because a degenerate gambler, he doesn't even pay.

How do you, how much more degenerate can you get?

Yeah, I hear he's a cheater too.

I hear he's a big cheater cheats and then doesn't pay.

It's like, it's I'm telling you, it's such a, such a conundrum every time I play with him because it's either I can fight and lose my friend or I just let my friend cheat me, you know, play with me.

Who got you into golfing?

Was it like a family thing growing up?

Yeah, my dad would always take me with him out on the golf.

My mom would make him take us, uh, with him to the golf course.

So I was just swinging clubs, and then when I could start affording it, maybe like 10 years ago, I just started falling in love with it.

And now going to all these golf courses all over the place.

I make the, I don't make the UFC, but the UFC flies me and puts me in hotels, and so I just bring my clubs with me.

And golf in the morning and then do appearances and stuff at night.

Living the dream.

I, I golfed 9 holes last Friday, to not to toot my own horn.

I wasn't any good.

How many times did you have to hit the ball to finish 9 holes?

You know, it wasn't that bad.

It wasn't that bad.

I'm not great, but there was a time I got it.

Um, Maybe a little less, to be honest.

I'm like I'm doing the math.

I'm doing the math.

There was a time I got the ball in in like 3 tries.

You should have seen.

I, I sent that thing one time.

I think I even took a video of it.

It was like.

I, I have really well with the big one, the big club.

Sounds like we might have to play for a light kick.

Oh, you don't want that smoke.

You don't want that smoke.

Um , it seems like you are passionate about golf.

Is that something you would ever consider after fighting is maybe taking on that as a, that's my, that's my plan.

I'm planning on being a celebrity pro golfer for as long as I can.

That's awesome.

I love that.

Um, I gotta go into that.

What is the plan after fighting?

Is that something that you've, you know, put any thought into?

Other than going to be a celebrity golfer, I definitely put some thought into it, but I just, you know, right now I still can't, like I said , I can't punch anything right now.

I'm still, my both of my hands are still hurt from my fight.

I still have like a really deep bruise in my knee that I've had since Christmas, so I dealt with it through both of these last two fights and it never healed.

So I'm just, uh, gonna enjoy being the champion for the rest of the year because I fought 2 times already, um, in the 1st 6 months, and then.

You know, um, put everything on paper, pros and cons, talk to all my family and everybody that, you know, that loves me and that I trust to.

Be honest with me and then I'll make a decision.

I love that.

I think that's great.

Um, I did wanna ask, you know, does retirement scare you?

We see fighters who have had longtime careers such as yourself go through, you know, certain things in their retirement.

Is that something that worries you at all?

Um, I mean, it doesn't worry me.

I I mean, so we're not even talking about specific people, but Most of the people that go crazy when they're done fighting were crazy before they started fighting.

Um, and so, and I think they were, you know, obviously fighting was like somebody that kept them on track and, you know, goal oriented, and then without that they just are back to just being absolutely insane, but, uh, you know, I have an amazing family and, uh, uh, a great foundation, I think.

That I will, you know, have a mission which whatever that, whether it's gonna be, you know, through like human services using my college degree, but I'm, like I said, I'm gonna use my name.

If I can use my name to raise money for staying Jude for, for veteran nonprofits, uh, for first responders, then I'm just gonna, you know, have them bring me out and, and use me like that for as long as possible, but I think I'm gonna always have, you know, I have a, I have a MMA equipment business, so I'm always gonna be really busy with that.

Um, you know, trying to protect the fire.

What is, what exactly is that?

Can you talk about that a little bit more, the MMA equipment business?

You've probably heard of that, uh, so yeah, that's the, that's my business.

Me and my coach Trevor started that literally like 2014, and it's been so difficult to get up and going.

Uh, we went through COVID and manufacturing and just so many, so many crazy issues that you would never even imagine you'd have to go through when you start something like that.

But yeah, it's been a, a great learning process and You know, it's just starting to see, starting to see the upside of, of running a big business.

So yeah, it's really cool, but it's really, really time consuming.

Oh, I can imagine.

Um, you know, going back to the fight, the, you know, the White House fight, obviously Ili Zoria, you have been very adamant about not giving him a rematch because he quit on the stool.

Is that still something that's solid, solid, solid ground?

Um, yeah, I mean, ultimately the UFC makes the decision on who I'm gonna fight next, so, OK, um.

But I, I just don't think that they would.

I mean, who knows when he, I mean, I guess if I'm not fighting till next year, he's probably not gonna fight till next year too, seeing as he's probably recovering from some things, but I don't know.

I don't think that's, I don't think that's my next fight.

I don't feel, I don't feel it in my, in my gut.

Do you ever just wake up and be like, Damn, I did that, you know, put on a legendary performance on the South Lawn of South Lawn of the White House?

Yeah, every day it gets, it gets a little bit more real because for me it was just another fight.

Like, you know, I had made, I had made both of my previous championship fights like so much bigger than, than a fight, you know, the one versus Khabib, the one versus Charles.

I really wanted to, like, you know, become the best in the world and win a championship, but this, you know, then I learned the lessons that It's just another fight and so.

Yeah, I mean, My, uh, I think my, especially with the Max Holloway loss, you know, getting knocked out, everyone thinking I would never have a chance again, and me being able to come back in and accomplish this, yeah, I think it's, it's just been crazy.

It's been such a crazy ride.

Such crazy ride, but I do wake up sometimes and I'm like.

Fuck yeah.

Yeah, I did that.

You definitely did that, man .

You are, you're a goat for awesome.

My coaches, my coach is amazing.

We had such a good game plan, and I've been through the trials and tribulations that I needed to go through to be able to perform, uh, in that setting, and yeah, it was, it was awesome.

Yeah, absolutely.

Um, one thing I did notice about that night, you had a flawless performance.

Everything was perfect, but there's one thing you did not stick the landing on the backflip.

I went for a double backflip.

Oh, is that what it was?

OK, OK.

Does that ever scare you, just jumping off of the, the octagon?

No, no, no, no.

Are you just too high on life at the moment to even care?

I'm so, I'm so locked in.

That's the last time I'm gonna mess up.

I mean, I mean that and I do, I I've been doing it off of everything all the time forever, uh, maybe when I, I think I was gonna fight either Khabib or Oliveira, and I was doing backflips off the occasion in the gym, and my coach is like, hey, like we can't, you know, you should stop doing backflips.

I was like, Today is the day you always just turn into a bitch.

Like right, right, right now, let's do it today.

I was like, I don't.

He's like, OK.

Do your backflips.

When was the first time you hit the backflip?

Oh, I had a trampoline when I was a kid and I wasn't allowed inside, so I was just out there flipping off shit.

Uh, OK, in a fight, was it the first fight that you did it?

Oh, the first time I did a, uh, back off the cage after a fight.

Yeah, it would probably be like the World Series of Fighting Days of 2014.

I bet you the first time you landed it you were like holy shit no that was I had done it hundreds of times in the gym.

OK, OK.

It was just the debut, you were ready for it.

Haven't missed yet.

Knock on wood, I'm right there with you.

So, we do got Armand versus Rufie coming up, and they say that is the number one title contender fight.

Is that something that interests you at all?

Uh yeah, absolutely.

I mean, I'm the champion, so anytime there's a, a big fight like that in my weight class, especially with two potential contenders, I mean, it's definitely, I love this sport.

I love watching fights.

I think it's a good matchup.

Roofies looked incredible and Arman, you know, is.

His own, his own problems.

So yeah, I think it's gonna be a great fight.

Absolutely.

Do you have a prediction?

No.

No.

What is it?

It is California, I believe that is September 19th.

Yes, LA, yeah, coming up, LA.

That's right, um, we did never get the fight between the two of you.

So how do you feel about a a fight between you and Connor?

Uh, it is the last fight on his contract.

Is that something that interests you at all?

You're like, uh, well, if it came to my table, I would entertain it, but I would doubt that.

I mean.

Yeah, he's going through his own stuff.

I don't even want to shit on that guy anymore.

I've done it and that doesn't work because I've tried.

Yeah, um, I know you said, you know, you wanna talk to the people who you trust and that love you the most, but just, do you ever just consider it, you know, riding off into the sunset, you know, while you're on the literal top of the mountain?

Well, of course I've considered it, but Um Not in like a like a like a serious sense, but I thought about like what that would look like so that, you know, my my my I so that I wouldn't go crazy if I do decide that that's that's the case, but I mean I just performed better than I've ever performed.

I just be a guy that everybody considered unbeatable, so that's a big variable when it comes to like should I perform again and you know if I'm performing better than ever, I don't know how, how I don't do it.

So we'll see, we'll see when we get there.

I mean, the fans are gonna be happy if we get you back and, you know, very happy for you if you make that decision.

Uh, I do have a question, you know, you have fought a lot of the greats when it comes to, you know, the stand and bang type of fighters, and you are arguably, I mean, not even arguably, because you are the champion, but one of the best stand and bang fighters that, you know, we have seen our generation has seen.

But I wanna know, is there a certain fighter, maybe that was before your time that you didn't quite get the chance to, that you would love to stand in the middle of the octagon and bang with them?

Oh, no, I pretty much fought everybody I thought and wanted to fight.

I fought everybody.

I have fought everybody, you know.

We have to go back to like when I was a, a fan of the sport and, you know, I wanted to like fight someone that I looked up to or something, but I don't want to fight my heroes either, so.

Fair.

Yeah, not really.

Don't wanna do that to them.

Yeah, no.

You've obviously been able to do a lot of cool stuff, you know, over the years in your career, and last year you were at Fan Fest, and you kind of really showed up and showed out.

You beat some big names Gronkowski, John Cena, Kevin Durant.

You were a runner-up to Tom Brady, but this year because of This year I had a fight in June on June 14th, and then the competition was like two weeks later.

My hands were killing me, and so I did not perform very well, but I've been on such a crazy, crazy adventure.

I, I get to do so many crazy things.

I went to Hawaii for the golf tournament and then, uh, I get to go to UFC fights.

Now I'm in Las Vegas at this total wireless, uh, experience, and they got all their people out here and I just got to do a meet and greet and yeah, it's really, really cool.

They get to do so many amazing things and meet so many cool people.

It's crazy.

Absolutely.

How was the meet and greet with the fans today?

It was great.

They got the, they all there seems like employees or it's like a convention.

And yeah, they got everybody out here in Vegas, so everybody's high spirits and it's awesome.

Yes, love that.

Do you ever wish that you would have kept that Ferrari that they gave you last year at Fan fest?

Do I wish I kept the Ferrari that I won?

No, I already, I have, I live in Denver, Colorado, so like the last thing I need is a Ferrari, and it wasn't the Ferrari like I.

Uh, dreamed of as a child.

Like if it was that one, I think I would have liked the Ferrari Enzo like.

Just the the old school classic.

Yeah Beast, but this one was like a hybrid, and they don't hold their value well, and I talked to the car people that I know and they said take the money.

So I took the money and I have a, I have a really nice truck at home and I have a Lamborghini yours, so I don't need it for.

Say less.

Uh, you did it.

Would you ever want that one back with Tom Brady?

I mean, he's out here slapping people now, you know.

Would you ever?

I was injured and it's embarrassing.

Do you know who won this year?

It's not embarrassing because he's clearly a good athlete, but Justin Bieber.

Who Justin Bieber one really?

Yeah, he beat us all.

That's crazy.

Wow, that's, that's I didn't know that.

So thank you for letting me know it happens.

Um, we just had Islam have a successful title defense over the weekend.

Um, although you are both represented by Ali, is that, would that be something that's intriguing to you as well?

I mean, at this point in my career, absolutely, you know, um.

Yeah, all that's just, uh, fighting is fun, but it's just such a, you know, we're, we're all just our own individual business now.

So there's so many, so many things that go into all this.

I have an amazing team, manager, chef, assistant, coaches, physical therapists.

And so I try to just stay ready, be ready, and then let these people make these choices.

Let the team decide, yeah.

Because if they, if it's up to me, I'll just fight everybody.

That's not smart.

No, the guy saved you from yourself.

Exactly.

They're protecting me from me.

Yes, exactly.

I talk to fighters all the time, and I feel like that is something you all have in common.

100%.

Uh, but I thank Total Wireless, Total Wireless again for making this happen.

Um, it's been so fun chopping it up with you, Justin.

Can you tell me a little bit about your partnership with Total Wireless?

Yeah, so it's, we're almost on a year right now, and, uh.

They've been with the UFC for 2 years and yeah it's really, it's really, really awesome um I'm with Verizon and you know um so I was I already had that network when I when Total Wireless came to but the fact that you they're using they're on the Verizon Wireless network which I think Is amazing when it comes to getting service and.

But they got better, I mean, I think it's such a better option than like when I, when I travel internationally, I have to pay a fee to use my, to use my phone.

Uh, they don't have any fees like that.

They have Western Union.

They get to free money transfers.

I got a bunch of family.

Back in Mexico and so it's such a great idea and um obviously we always have people working their butts off over here trying to send money back home so it's a great free service that they have and uh yeah I love it I love my partnership it's been um it's been a fun ride it's it's not new but I, you know, being it's the first time I've been around the family of Total Wireless and so being here at the convention and get to meet, you know, the president and now everybody it's been, it's been really special.

Oh yeah, that's nice.

Kind of ties everything in.

Yeah, it seems like they really emphasize, you know, authenticity and showing up for people on a local community level.

And I think that that's something that, you know, you naturally radiate as well.

Do you feel like you guys having that shared sense of authenticity is where you and Total Wireless really align?

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, look how far they've come being just 2 years, you know, 2 years young in the UFC.

They're one of the major sponsorship of the UFC.

So, yeah, I mean, obviously, that's through hard work, you know, tenacity and staying, staying true to, to the cause.

And so, yeah, it's, it's really cool seeing these guys again.

It's the first time I'm meeting like the president now and all the people that work with the company, so, yeah.

That's great.

Well, they're lucky to have you as it sounds like you were lucky to have them.

Yeah, it's been, it's been cool.

Good.

I'm glad to be in Vegas.

Yeah, how is Vegas treating you?

It's hot, too hot for you, or are you good?

Oh, I love Las Vegas.

I love Las Vegas.

Yeah, good food, good , good food.

Everything you, everything you have right here.

Since we are on the total wireless subject, I do wanna end this before I end this, I wanna end it with some fun questions kind of regarding some phones.

All right, let's do it.

Some phone trivia, some phone trivia.

OK.

Who is the most famous person in your contacts?

Oh, you're gonna hate this answer because it's the same answer I already gave you.

I know what it is.

The 2nd most famous person in my phone is my mother.

See, it's, she, I, I've told her she does not stop replying to messages.

I'm like, do not reply.

Do not reply.

So random messages on her all over social media profile.

She's like, Hey, this person wants to know if you'll, you know, do an interview tomorrow.

I'm like, No, why are you responding to these things?

That is so sweet.

OK, next question.

If you had to think of one person you could call at 3 a.m. and they would answer, who would it be?

If I called my twin brother at 3 a.m., he would answer or my best friend, Rocco, he would definitely come bail me out.

Good.

We need those with solid people to have in your life.

Last one, and we're gonna get nostalgic, OK, nostalgic.

What was your very first phone?

Oh, my very first phone ever was a Nokia.

And I had all tell.

And.

I've had the same number since I was 13.

I actually made my parents pay a fee, which they were very upset about to change my number from All talents of Verizon when I went to Colorado cause I didn't wanna lose like all my friends, but now I've had the same number since I was 13, so my phone is like.

I can't even use it anymore.

Yeah.

That's pretty iconic.

That's, that's impressive.

Yeah, I'll tell you, know, I'm not a womanizer or a drug dealer.

I've had the same number since I was 13.

He's a good man.

Good But I am going to pick up a business line with Total Wireless very soon.

They just told me, so I'm pumped.

Good.

We love that.

Last one.

Last one, best one.

What was your favorite phone before iPhones took over?

Like my favorite phone before iPhones took over, I think.

I mean, it was kind of the BlackBerry because it made you feel smarter.

And better, but Um, that I, I think whatever game had the worm, where we had the worm game where you, if you every time you got a dot it grew, and I don't remember what game that was, but I used to love playing that game.

Was it a flip phone?

No, this is before flip phones.

OK, OK, so it's like, OK, I got you.

I think mine was like the pink razor.

That's the one I love.

I did have the Motorola flip phone at one point.

The phones were classic, the classic, yeah, yeah.

These kids will never know how cool they'll never know how to text on a keypad.

How fast were you?

How fast were you?

Oh, so fast, so fast.

Could you do it without looking in school?

I like you, I can text faster with that, that style of texting than this style of texting, you know, I believe that.

It's crazy.

Yeah, all right, Justin, well, it's been so nice chopping it up with you and, you know, catching up, getting to know you a little bit more.

I do appreciate you taking the time and thank you Total Wireless again for making it happen.

Absolutely, we're in the same circle.

We have never met, but it's great to meet you.

Yeah, good to meet you too.

Thank you so much.

I'm happy to finally have you on in the corner.

Enjoy the rest of your time in Vegas and good luck at that golf tournament next week.

Let's go One Shot at a time.