Justin Gaethje credits return of fans for massive success of UFC 261
UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje has credited the enormous success of UFC 261 and the breathtaking performances by fighters on the night to the presence of fans during the event.
UFC 261 took place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida on April 24 2021. The blockbuster pay-per-view featured a heavily stacked fight card that boasted three title fights, two of which ended with spectacular knockouts.
In the co-main event, Rose Namajunas knocked out Weili Zhang with a stunning head kick to become the first woman in UFC history to reclaim the strawweight title she once held.
In the headlining fight, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman settled his rivalry with Jorge Masvidal by brutally knocking him out in the second round.
According to Justin Gaethje, UFC 261 will go down as one of the most pivotal and entertaining pay-per-views in the promotion's history. Gaethje claimed that the presence of fans after over a year due to the ongoing pandemic was the reason for the enthralling performances by the fighters on the night. He also said that fans are a very crucial part of the sport and expressed his joy to see them back in his recent tweet.
"I have no doubt last nights card will go down as not only one of the most pivotal but most entertaining in history. You’d think recency bias but that was 100% due to the fans being back. The atmosphere was electric, it’s big part of this sport. I am so glad they’re back. #UFC261", tweeted Gaethje.
Who is Justin Gaethje fighting next?
Justin Gaethje is yet to be booked for his next fight since going down to Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC 254 last year. Gaethje was the interim lightweight champion before losing to Nurmagomedov and was on a four-fight winning streak inside the octagon.
While it's unknown who Justin Gaethje will be fighting next, it will surely be someone from the top five ranked guys in the lightweight division.