Justin Gaethje sat down on the Flagrant podcast with Andrew Schulz and his crew, talking about his time speaking at the Republican National Convention. The lightweight champion opened up about the nerves behind that appearance and his views on MMA versus boxing.
When asked whether public speaking rattles him the way stepping into the cage never does, Gaethje admitted the RNC speech was one of the rare moments he felt unprepared.
“I did speak at the Republican National Convention a couple weeks ago, but they gave me like a two days notice and I had a golf tournament. So I like wrote the speech while I was doing the golf tournament, but I didn’t have enough time to like memorize it. So then I knew I was going to look stupid reading off a teleprompter.”
He compared the nerves of that night to the mental composure he relies on in a match. He noted that most public speakers lean on a teleprompter, but for him it was uncharted territory.
“I know, but this is my first time ever. So I was like, I don’t know how I’m gonna look. And then I was looking like a crackhead.”
Despite the anxiety leading up to it, Gaethje said he wasn’t nervous about actually being there once the moment arrived, framing it the same way he approaches a match, once you are locked in, there is no getting out.
“So I was nervous about that, but I wasn’t nervous to go out there, right? Cuz I was like, I have to do it. I’m here. Can’t get out of it.”
During the conversation, Gaethje also talked about combat sports safety. Gaethje argued that boxing carries more long term danger than MMA because athletes are allowed to absorb repeated blows and get back up.
“This boxing is more dangerous than what I do…. We are already warriors. We’re going to choose compete every time instead of flight. So we just naturally get back up.”
He also weighed in on fouls in the cage, saying he believes athletes should never be forced to decide whether to continue after an illegal attack like an eye poke or an illegal knee, arguing that responsibility should fall on officials, not the competitor.
“I think after a knockout… that decision should not lie on the athlete. He didn’t create the foul. He’s compromised.”
