Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs spent Saturday night doing what millions of sports fans across the country did, watching UFC 328 from Prudential Center in Newark.
Gibbs watched flyweight champion Joshua Van successfully defend his title against Tatsuro Taira in a hard-fought fifth-round stoppage. His reaction to the action drew as much attention as the fight itself.
Chicago Bears Dexter Lawrence
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) runs against New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II (97) and linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (33) during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025.
A short clip originally posted to his Instagram story captured Gibbs’ voice cracking audibly during a tense moment in the bout, and the Detroit Times posted it to X.
The clip circulated quickly after the fightshowing Gibbs’ genuine, unfiltered reaction. In the clip, Gibbs reacts with full-body energy as the fight builds toward a decisive moment, and his voice cracks sharply on camera. The caption described it simply as “Voice crackin’ od.”
The fight Gibbs watched produced one of the evening’s most compelling performances. Joshua Van retained the flyweight championship with a fifth-round stoppage of Tatsuro Taira after a demanding fight in which Taira’s wrestling repeatedly put the champion under pressure across the opening rounds. Van’s stoppage win sets up a future rematch with former champion Alexandre Pantoja later in 2026. The co-main event featured Sean Strickland defeating Khamzat Chimaev in a split decision to reclaim the middleweight title, giving the Newark crowd two championship finishes on the same night.
Gibbs has been openly vocal about his passion for combat sports in past interviews, citing his admiration for MMA fighters and the sport’s physical demands. That made the clip feel consistent with who his followers already knew him to be.
Jahmyr Gibbs enters the 2026 season as one of the NFL’s most dynamic young running backs. The Lions drafted him 12th overall in 2023 out of Alabama. He has since earned three Pro Bowl selections and recorded 47 career touchdowns through three seasons, tying a record previously held by Barry Sanders for the most touchdowns in Lions history before age 24. His presence in the backfield has become central to Detroit’s offense under head coach Dan Campbell, who has repeatedly said the league has not seen the best of Gibbs yet.
Jahmyr Gibbs continues to build his brand as one of the NFL’s most entertaining personalities
The UFC reaction clip is the latest example of Gibbs going viral for moments off the field. In April 2026, Detroit’s social media team asked Gibbs to pick his Men’s National Championship favorite.
Instead of naming a college basketball team, he delivered a WWE-themed response that spread quickly and added to his reputation as one of the most entertaining players in the league. Gibbs has long embraced his love for WWE, previously going viral for dressing as Jeff Hardy for Halloween, and that his willingness to engage authentically on camera has built a following far beyond Lions fans.
The Lions finished 9-8 in 2025 and missed the playoffs, a disappointing result after consecutive division titles. HC Dan Campbell overhauled the offensive coordinator role by taking playcalling duties himself. That decision places Gibbs even more directly in the center of Detroit’s offensive identity heading into the new season.
According to the team’s offseason schedule, Gibbs will report to Lions OTAs in late May and training camp in late July. Saturday night’s UFC 328 moment gave his fanbase another reason to follow him during the long stretch between football seasons.