Justin Gaethje still has not announced his retirement. JD Vance made the comments during his interview on The Joe Rogan Experience, where he told Joe Rogan that Gaethje’s mother answered for him during a brief Oval Office exchange after UFC Freedom 250.
Before Vance told that story, Rogan said he had spoken with Gaethje about the fighting conditions at the White House card. Rogan said the heat and humidity were noticeable once Gaethje was actually competing.
“I talked to Justin Gaethje about it and he said it was a problem when he was fighting,” Rogan said. “He said the air was very thick. Like, right after the first round, he was like, ‘Boy, this is rough,’ because that hot, humid air.”
The discussion then shifted to Gaethje’s win over Ilia Topuria. Vance said he had thought the late stoppage was tied to a concussion concern, but Rogan corrected the point and said Topuria’s vision was the issue.
“He couldn’t see,” Rogan said. “He was saying he couldn’t see well. Something was wrong with his right eye.”
“Well, I mean, it looks like his whole face was puffed up, so he couldn’t see anything,” Vance said. “But okay, so I thought it was a concussion thing, but it was because of his vision.”
Vice President JD Vance reveals Justin Gaethje's mom said he's finished with fighting. 😲
"I asked Justin, 'Are you done fighting?' and he kind of hesitated for a little bit. His mom was with him in the Oval Office, and she was like, 'Yes.'"
via: @joerogan pic.twitter.com/YEgNU2gnaq
— FREAK.MMA (@FREAKMMA1) July 16, 2026
Gaethje Has Not Made A Retirement Announcement
Vance’s key Gaethje story was not an official retirement update from the UFC lightweight champion. It was Vance retelling a private White House exchange involving Gaethje and his mother.
“Yeah, so we saw Gaethje at the White House a couple of weeks ago and I asked him, I was like, ‘So are you done fighting?'” Vance said. “And he kind of hesitated a little bit, and then I think it was his mom was in the Oval Office with him. She’s like, ‘Yes.'”
That distinction matters. Gaethje has not released a retirement statement, and the UFC has not announced a next fight or title defense for him. As of this update, he remains the UFC lightweight champion after beating Topuria at UFC Freedom 250.
The full episode is below. The Gaethje exchange starts just before the seven-minute mark.
Rogan did not treat the mother’s answer as the final word. He said one more major offer could still keep Gaethje active after the Topuria performance.
“If they offer him some life-changing money for one more fight after that performance, I have a feeling he’ll take it,” Rogan said.
Vance then wondered what Gaethje could make for another bout, asking, “What could he fetch for his next fight? Like $50 million more?” Rogan said he does not know Gaethje’s contract details and avoids studying fighter pay from the business side.
“I want them to get paid the most amount possible,” Rogan said. “That’s my perspective. But my job is just to analyze and to see what’s going on and to commentate and try to give color and life to what’s happening inside the octagon. And I try not to dwell too much on the money. I just want them to get paid a lot. I want them to be able to retire and never have to do anything ever again.”
“I don’t know if Justin could do that,” Rogan added.
Gaethje is listed by the UFC at 28-5 with 21 knockout wins, and ESPN’s fight center recorded his UFC Freedom 250 win over Topuria as a KO/TKO at 5:00 of Round 4. MiddleEasy covered Gaethje’s post-fight White House visit with Donald Trump after the title win.
Since then, Gaethje has stayed central to the lightweight title picture. He recently shut down immediate Paddy Pimblett rematch talk, while Anthony Joshua said Topuria’s loss to Gaethje made him rethink his own circle and preparation in boxing. The wider UFC 329 news cycle has also included Conor McGregor calling for his Max Holloway loss to become a no contest, but Gaethje’s situation is separate: he left UFC Freedom 250 as champion, and he has not publicly closed the door himself.
