Justin Gaethje

Justin "The Highlight" Gaethje is a former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion and the current 'BMF' champion who is ranked second in his weight class. With a professional record of 25 wins and 4 losses (25-4-0), he started his MMA career in 2011 and has held titles in organizations like the UFC and World Series of Fighting.

Gaethje's last fight was a head-kick knockout victory against Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 in July 2023, where he also earned the 'BMF' title and a 'Performance of the Night' bonus. He's now gearing up for his first 'BMF' title defense against Max Holloway at UFC 300 on April 13, 2024.

Early Life and Career

Justin Gaethje started wrestling at the age of 4 and continued it in high school, where he became a two-time state champion with a record of 191-9. Gaethje would get into MMA during his freshman year at college and make his amateur debut in 2008, which he won via KO Slam.

Gaethje amassed an amateur record of 7-0 before going professional and making his debut at ROF 41 which he won. Gaethje then went on a 7-fight win streak in the regional circuit before signing up with the World Series of Fighting. Justin would remain undefeated at The World Series of Fighting and would win and defend the WSOF Lightweight title 5 times before vacating it to join the UFC in 2017.

Justin Gaethje Personal Life

Justin Gaethje holds a bachelor's degree in Human Services from the University of Northern Colorado and has expressed his desire to work in social work with at-risk youth. His surname is of German origin, inherited from his German-American father.

Gaethje also underwent a photorefractive keratectomy in 2016 to correct his vision, which was previously very poor, affecting his ability to see during fights. He has been involved in politics, attending a rally for President Donald Trump in 2020 and praising Trump for his support of the UFC. Gaethje also has a YouTube channel.

Justin Gaethje Social Media

Justin Gaethje's Most Popular Fights

Justin Gaethje vs Tony Ferguson

Justin Gaethje fought Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 on short notice for the UFC Interim Lightweight Championship. Gaethje outclassed Ferguson in the encounter in terms of striking (143- 136 significant strikes) and winning the fight unanimously on the judges' scorecard before he knocked Ferguson in the fifth round with a punch to the head to become the UFC Interim Champion and ended Ferguson's 12-fight win streak in the UFC.

Justin Gaethje vs Khabib Nurmagomedov

Justin Gaethje and Khabib Nurmagomedov fought at UFC 254 to unify the UFC Lightweight Championship. Gaethje won the first round of the fight on the judges' scorecard but, the momentum would shift in the second round when Nurmagomedov gained ground control. Khabib would make short work of Gaethje and put him in a triangle-choke resulting in Gaethje passing out and losing the fight via technical Submission.

Justin Gaethje vs Michael Chandler

Justin Gaethje fought Michael Chandler at UFC 268. The fight started with Gathje hammering in his leg kicks and Chandler looking to rock Gaethje with some heavy strikes. In the first round, Chandler hammered Gaethje with strong punches followed by a flying knee to cause him to wobble. Gaethje countered this by grappling Chandler to halt his aggression and then used his striking prowess to pummel Chandler with some nasty uppercuts before the end of the round.

Justin began to gain the upper hand in the second round as he dropped Chandler with a stiff uppercut. Michael defended well in the grounded position as he got hold of a Gaethje leg and eventually stood back up on his feet after receiving some ground-and-pound punches.

In the third round, Gaethje continued his dominance as he connected with a lot more punches and leg kicks. Chandler was able to takedown Gaethje but, Gathje reversed it and got control of Chandler's back before letting go. In the end, the decision went to the judge's scorecard that was in favor of Justin Gaethje as he won the fight via unanimous decision.