Guarantees are few and far between in mixed martial arts but one thing’s for sure, UFC’s Justin Gaethje is never going to give you a boring fight
Whatever technique Gaethje might lack, he more than makes up for with the level of entertainment value that he brings each and every time he steps through the Octagon doors.
A more apt nickname than ‘The Highlight’ you’d struggle to fathom and while he’s only been competing in the UFC for less than two years, Gaethje has already provided fans with several unforgettable moments.
Gaethje has taken home six bonuses from his five UFC fights, taking his earnings in recent years to over $1 million and the most recent came on Saturday night, when Gaethje knocked out Edson Barboza in the opening round of their lightweight clash.
Joe Rogan wasn’t on commentary duty in Philadelphia but he summed up the appeal of Gaethje in one social media post in which he proclaimed Gaethje the most violent man in MMA.
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Rogan has worked for the UFC for over two decades and he remains a hardcore fan of all combat sports so the compliment for Gaethje represents very high praise indeed.
The title of being the “most violent man in the most violent sport in the world” might ensure that more fans will tune in to watch him fight but Gaethje is at the stage of his career where he is hoping to set up a title fight and he believes he has what it takes to hand reigning 155lbs champion Khabib Nurmagomedov the first defeat of his professional career.
“When the time comes, it’s kill or be killed,” Gaethje said on the UFC Philadelphia post-fight show on ESPN+. “That means you or me. I don’t care who it is. It could be you (Paul Felder), it could be Nate (Diaz), it could be Donald (Cerrone).
“It could be Khabib (Nurmagomedov). I don’t care. I’m on my way to Khabib and I want to fight him. I think I’m the toughest matchup for him.”
