Jun 20, 2026 · 2h 29m
Justin Gaethje and coach Trevor Wittman detail the blueprint behind their championship run
JRE MMA Show #181 with Justin Gaethje & Trevor Wittman
This conversation pulls back the curtain on elite combat sports, showing that championship success relies as much on psychological adaptation and gear innovation as it does on physical toughness.
- 1A critical strategic shift after consecutive losses transformed Justin Gaethje from a high-risk brawler into a disciplined champion.
- 2Severe weight cutting and heavy physical tolls require extreme mental endurance, highlighted by Gaethje training without drinking water.
- 3Trevor Wittman custom-designed ONX gloves to promote a safer fist position and reduce frequent hand injuries in mixed martial arts.
Don't miss
Trevor Wittman showcases his custom ONX glove design, explaining how it protects fighters' hands by forcing a natural fist position.
The brief
UFC Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje and his coach Trevor Wittman join Joe Rogan to dissect their historic title victory and the unique personal bond that has fueled their championship run.
The duo detail the strategic overhaul made after brutal consecutive losses to Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier, proving how tactical restraint transformed Gaethje from a wild brawler into a calculated champion.
Beyond the tactical shift, they address the extreme physical tolls of the sport, from the grueling mental battle of weight cutting without drinking water to surviving the sheer power of Ilia Topuria.
Wittman showcases his custom-designed ONX gloves, demonstrating how the innovative design forces a natural fist position to drastically reduce hand injuries and improve fighter safety.
What was said on this episode
42 statements · 24 positive · 13 negative · 2 mixed · 3 neutral
Ilia’s body shots contributed substantially to Justin Gaethje’s victory.
“him hurting to my body was the reason, one of the main reasons I won”
Listen at 13:50
Ilia’s early all-out pressure was a strategic mistake.
“And I do think it was a mistake.”
Listen at 16:57
Fighters should always prepare for a war.
“Expect a war, always.”
Listen at 17:27
Ilia Topuria has the skills to become champion again.
“I know that he has the skill to be a champion again.”
Listen at 19:38
Gaethje’s victory changed opponents’ perception of Topuria’s invincibility.
“once I showed people that all you gotta do is get through that, then nobody's ever gonna go in there with thinking that he's unbeatable now”
Listen at 20:06
Severe eye injuries can have long-term psychological and physical consequences.
“anytime you've got eye injuries, like anything severe with your eyes, long term consequences vary, you know, psychological, absolutely. And physical.”
Listen at 20:50
Broken bones heal into stronger bones.
“broken bones make stronger bones”
Listen at 21:03
Gaethje’s mindset prevented him from defeating Max Holloway that night.
“I couldn't have beat him that night with the mentality that I had.”
Listen at 27:16
Gaethje can evade punches by seeing and rolling with them.
“I am able to see punches and roll with them and roll with punches. If you watch my, you know, fights frame by frame, I'm not getting hit.”
Listen at 42:16
Fight judges should not determine winners solely by counting visible landed strikes.
“judges can't look at a screen and go, oh, this guy landed more. This is who won.”
Listen at 42:56
A UFC test reportedly found Gaethje had the hardest bones.
“they did a test on him to see who has the hardest bones at the ufc. He had the hardest bones.”
Listen at 43:26
Speed becomes a major advantage when fighters move up in weight.
“when you go up in weight, that speed is a huge factor”
Listen at 1:17:56
Bad weight cuts can make fighters vulnerable to being dropped by jabs.
“I've seen guys get dropped with jabs because of bad weight cuts.”
Listen at 1:18:21
Wittman proposes weight limits after weigh-ins and weighing in one week early.
“maybe you have where you can't go over a certain amount of weight after you make weight and you weigh in a week out where you can really recover”
Listen at 1:18:54
Gaethje opposes changing weight-cutting rules because fighters choose their risks.
“I want nothing to change. I mean, we are grown ass men and women and we're making these choices.”
Listen at 1:19:06
Most recent boxing deaths in Wittman’s cited sample occurred after round nine.
“Almost all of them are past the ninth round”
Listen at 1:20:12
Gaethje says he should embrace and publicly perform his role as champion.
“I am the champion, and I need to. I need to be the champion and be the champ.”
Listen at 1:32:14
Gaethje plans to continue fighting.
“I'm planning on it.”
Listen at 1:32:45
Gaethje believes the UFC should compensate him for his past performances.
“I deserve to be compensated for what I have done 100”
Listen at 1:33:07
Gaethje recommends that the UFC create a company granting him equity.
“the UFC should make a company and give me equity in that company”
Listen at 1:33:51
Ilia Topuria should not receive a rematch against Gaethje.
“No, he doesn't get a rematch. He can try, but he doesn't get one.”
Listen at 1:36:17
Ilia Topuria needs to fight Paddy Pimblett next instead.
“He needs to fight Patty or someone like that”
Listen at 1:36:29
Cyril Gane is a heavyweight capable of moving exceptionally well.
“Cyril Gone is one of those guys.”
Listen at 1:41:02
MMA fighters need sustained training to adjust to boxing’s sprint demands.
“You have to do it for a period of time to be able to adjust to that.”
Listen at 1:42:02
Cyril Gane’s prevention of Pereira setting his feet was strategically smart.
“Like, that's very smart.”
Listen at 1:42:57
The Cyril Gane–Alex Pereira stoppage appeared to be a good finish.
“that looked like a good finish to me.”
Listen at 1:45:14
A fighter poked in the eye has five minutes to recover before resuming.
“You have five minutes to recover.”
Listen at 1:47:44
A brief MMA chokeout is not inherently associated with concussion or TBI.
“there's no concussion, there's no tbi. Like, it really is not detrimental at all.”
Listen at 1:49:39
Gaethje plans to stop fighting for the remainder of 2026.
“I'm gonna take the rest of the year”
Listen at 1:56:27
Gaethje currently has severe bone edema at the tip of his fibula.
“I have a severe bone edema in the tip of my fibula.”
Listen at 1:56:35
Hyperbaric chamber treatment is highly beneficial for recovery.
“That's huge. I got like recovery.”
Listen at 1:57:37
Gaethje attributes his success primarily to wrestling.
“I think wrestling is definitely, definitely has. Is the biggest variable when it comes to my success.”
Listen at 1:59:00
Wrestling is the most important foundation for MMA success.
“It's the most important foundation.”
Listen at 2:00:58
Gaethje’s parents’ example was causal to his becoming a good person.
“I couldn't be a good person without the example of my parents.”
Listen at 2:04:44
Eliminating eye pokes entirely from MMA is impossible.
“Eye pokes are big. That is not possible.”
Listen at 2:08:15
MMA glove redesign can reduce eye pokes but cannot eliminate them.
“You can make less, but you never stop.”
Listen at 2:08:21
Current UFC gloves are poor because they make forming a fist difficult and painful.
“the gloves we're fighting in now are terrible.”
Listen at 2:08:43
Wittman’s gloves promote natural hand positioning, grip, and fist formation.
“My gloves are one of those things that it promotes a natural hand, natural position, a better grip, better fist position”
Listen at 2:13:12
Wittman’s gloves may increase knockouts through improved hand position and grip strength.
“Our gloves were going to cause more knockouts because of better hand position, better grip strength.”
Listen at 2:13:33
Wittman recommends evolving gloves to improve athlete performance and hand protection.
“I want to help athletes perform.”
Listen at 2:19:36
OnX Sports gloves should last substantially longer for typical users.
“These gloves are going to last well over.”
Listen at 2:20:46
Rifle hunting is the most effective hunting method.
“rifle is always going to be the most effective way.”
Listen at 2:26:12
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
