Justin Gaethje News

Justin Golightly - September 12, 2017

There’s a new force in the UFC’s lightweight division. As stacked as that weight class is, that’s like adding a piranha into a pool of sharks. Justin Gaethje left his World Series of Fighting lightweight title behind and crashed into the UFC with a huge victory over Michael Johnson, pushing him into the top five in the rankings. He’s excited to get punched in the face by Eddie Alvarez, hoping to lure Conor McGregor into a title shot. Getting past Alvarez is a tall task, but Gaethje will look to exploit what he thinks is McGregor’s weakest point at some point in the future: His cardio. “The reason [Conor McGregor] can’t fight through when he gets super tired is he’s never grappled. You have to learn how to fight through when it sucks and it’s really hard. You have to be in that position over and over and over, to be able to perform in that mindset. The fact that he’s never wrestled or grappled, it doesn’t help when he gets super tired and starts questioning himself.”

Justin Golightly - September 1, 2017

Justin Gaethje is one of the most exciting fighters on this planet, or probably any other. If you weren’t accustomed to his entertaining violence before in World Series of Fighting, you were introduced to him in his ‘Fight of the Year’ contender with Michael Johnson at UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter 25 season finale. Unfortunately, the Nevada State Athletic Commission thinks Gaethje is a little too exciting. His trademark backflip off the cage celebration has been banned. So, you won’t see him doing any acrobatic stunts if he gets a win over Eddie Alvarez. “As a kid, I used to flip off anything. Anything and everything. My mom hated it. One time at the church, I tried to flip off a counter, and it broke and I busted my head open on the floor. I’ve been doing it off everything. I only do it when I get a sweet knockout or a sweet finish. So, I’ve done it a few times after probably eight fights. But, no more in Vegas.”

Justin Golightly - August 31, 2017

Hopefully, you knew of Justin Gaethje before he stepped foot into the UFC. If you didn’t, chances are you’ve seen his ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate with Michael Johnson back in July. This wild man has somehow remained undefeated (18-0 with 16 finishes!) while simultaneously being one of the most exciting fighters alive. If he keeps this up, things are really going to get interesting. He’s looking to earn a fight with ‘crazy’ Conor McGregor, but first he’s got to get through Eddie Alvarez. “I think it’s a great match-up for me. I’m much more athletic, faster, [Eddie Alvarez] is getting older and he’s getting up there at the end of his career — that’s fact. I think my leg kicks are going to be very detrimental to his lead leg. I’m working at just getting better every day and I’m ready to fight Eddie Alvarez. I’ve been watching him since I was in high school, I was a fan of him, been a fan forever and I’m still a fan of his. I’m excited to get punched in the face by him.”

Tom Taylor - August 31, 2017

Though Conor McGregor lost his Saturday night boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr., succumbing to 10th-round punches, the fight itself was a resounding success for him. Not only did he he dazzle his doubters by performing far better than expected, but he’s also likely to pocket far north of $100 million once his portion of the fight’s 6-million-plus pay-per-view sales are factored in. Yes, even in defeat, McGregor’s battle with Mayweather pushed him to new and unprecedented heights. As such, it’s going to take a special, special opponent to coax him back into the UFC’s Octagon. Former World Series of Fighting lightweight champ and current UFC standout Justin Gaethje plans to establish himself as that special opponent the only way he knows how: with extreme violence.

Tom Taylor - July 11, 2017

On Monday night, Ariel Helwani reported that the UFC was considering Eddie Alvarez as the next opponent for former World Series of Fighting lightweight champ Justin Gaethje, who made his UFC debut on Friday with a wild, TKO defeat of Michael Johnson. Apparently, Gaethje and Alvarez were also being seriously considered as the coaches for the next season of the Ultimate Fighter. According to another UFC lightweight star in “The Motown Phenom” Kevin Lee, however, Alvarez turned down this coaching gig. In a Tuesday afternoon Tweet, Lee claimed that he has accepted The Ultimate Fighter coaching job opposite Gaethje, as Alvarez turned the opportunity down.

Tom Taylor - July 11, 2017

Shortly after his thrilling TKO win over Michael Johnson – which marked a successful UFC debut – former World Series of Fighting champ Justin Gaethje called out Tony Ferguson. Ferguson, however, didn’t appear to be interested in the fight, and UFC President Dana White later stated that the UFC is still hoping to pair Ferguson with Khabib Nurmagomedov. With his desired Ferguson fight apparently off the table, Gaethje then suggested he’d like a fight with Eddie Alvarez as a backup plan. He made his call for a fight with Alvarez on The MMA Hour.

Tom Taylor - July 10, 2017

Shortly after his thrilling, back-and-forth TKO defeat of Michael Johnson, former World Series of Fighting lightweight king Justin Gaethje made a dynamite callout of top UFC lightweight Tony Ferguson. While this prospective matchup immediately had fans drooling, we know that the UFC – and Ferguson – are still keen on an interim title fight between Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Tom Taylor - July 10, 2017

On Friday night, in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter season 25 finale, former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion Justin Gaethje made his UFC debut against the UFC’s fifth-ranked lightweight Michael Johnson. It was a war for the ages that saw Johnson control the early moments, and Gaethje ultimately surge back to score a TKO victory in the second. Early on Monday morning, Johnson took to Instagram to speak up for the first time since this action-packed loss. From the sounds of it, the dynamic lightweight is in good spirits, despite coming up short in this wild fight.

bjpenndotcom - July 8, 2017

Friday night in Las Vegas, Justin Gaethje made his highly anticipated UFC debut as he faced UFC veteran Michael Johnson in a highly anticipated grudge match that will go down as one of the most thrilling fights of all time. The fight earned praise from nearly every member of the MMA community given its back and forth nature. Following the fight, UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor took to social media to give his reaction to the bout:

Chris Taylor - July 7, 2017

Fighters react to tonight’s insane TUF 25 Finale Main Event A key lightweight scrap between Michael Johnson and Justin Gaethje headlined tonight’s TUF 25 Finale event in Las Vegas.

Chris Taylor - July 7, 2017

TUF 25 Finale Results: Michael Johnson vs. Justin Gaethje A key lightweight scrap between Michael Johnson and Justin Gaethje served as the main event of tonight’s TUF 25 Finale event in Las Vegas.

Tom Taylor - July 4, 2017

This Friday, in the main event of the Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale, former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion Justin Gaethje will make his anticipated debut in the UFC’s Octagon. The undefeated debutant will do so against the UFC’s sixth-ranked lightweight contender, Michael Johnson. If things had unfolded just a little bit differently, of course, Gaethje could have gone the way of other free agents like Rory MacDonald, Ryan Bader and Roy Nelson, and signed with the ever-growing Bellator MMA.

bjpenndotcom - April 27, 2017

Following news that the WSOF has closed its doors and is now under new ownership, operating under the name of Professional FIghter’a League, it is now being reported that former WSOF lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has signed with the UFC. Gaethje, who holds a professional record of 17-0, won the WSOF lightweight championship in 2014, and defended the belt 5 times over the course of the past three years, defeating notable opponents such as former UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard, and Luis Palomino.