Justin Gaethje is one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC. The American fighter is known for giving it his all every time he steps into the octagon. In just three years with the promotion, ‘The Highlight’ has established himself as a fan favorite and one of the top lightweights in the promotion. This weekend he hopes to realize his ultimate dream of UFC gold.

Justin has, over the years, been a part of some exciting fights. Despite being an NCAA Division 1 wrestler, he rarely uses his wrestling skills offensively. He has built a reputation for being one of the hardest hitting lightweights in the world. We take a look at his top finishes inside the octagon. 

Justin Gaethje vs Tony Ferguson

Khabib Nurmagomedov was forced to pull out of the fight against Tony Ferguson due to COVID-19 restrictions. Hence, Gaethje was presented with an opportunity to step in on brief notice and compete for the interim title against Tony Ferguson. 

Going into the fight ‘El Cucuy’ was on a 12-fight win streak. He had fought the best in the lightweight division and made them look like amateurs. However, despite taking on the fight on short notice, Gaethje displayed perhaps the best performance of his career thus far. 

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In the fight, he landed a staggering 143 significant strike with an accuracy of 72%. Towards the end, a battered Tony Ferguson was seen shaking his head after eating a punch flush. This was enough for the referee to step in and stop the fight. 

The stoppage in itself was not jaw-dropping as compared to other stoppages by ‘The Highlight’. However, the opponent he did it against and the circumstances he did it in, is what makes this one of the best ever stoppages by Justin Gaethje. 

Justin Gaethje vs James Vick 

Justin Gaethje entered the promotion as a highly touted fighter. In his first fight, he justified all the hype when stopped Michael Johnson after a hard-fought, back-and-forth fight. However, things would quickly change for him. In his next two fights against Alvarez and Dustin Poirier, ‘The Highlight’ was stopped in convincing fashion. 

Two back-to-back losses against elite athletes raised questions about Justin’s quality and if he could survive in the UFC. The American fighter came back with a bang. As James Vick was backing up against the fence, an overhand right caught him right on the temple. 

‘The Highlight’ knocked out Vick in devastating fashion and proved all the doubters wrong. He has not looked back since and secured three more stoppage victories. 

Foster vs Gaethje

Justin Gaethje has a vast arsenal of attacks that he uses brilliantly. Justin is arguably most devastating with his hands. However, his leg kicks are among the most lethal in the entire promotion. 

In Brian Foster, Justin was defending his WSOF lightweight belt against a fighter who was on a two-fight win streak. Both wins had come via brutal stoppages. In the fight, ‘The Highlight’ threw his devastating leg kicks early and often.

However, inching towards the second minute, Gaethje threw a leg kick with pinpoint precision and immeasurable force. Such was the force behind the kick that Foster immediately fell to the ground, grabbing his leg in pain. 

This is one of three stoppage victories that have come via way of leg kicks for Justin Gaethje. His leg kicks are one of the biggest assets in his game and will play a huge role in his upcoming fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov

Palomino vs Justin 2 

Justin Gaethje had stopped Luis Palomino in the third round in their first fight. In the second fight, ‘The Highlight’ stopped his opponent one round earlier. The fight was extremely entertaining with some good back-and-forth action. Palomino had Justin hurt a few times but was unable to capitalize on it. 

Similarly, Justin had Palomino hurt a few times however was not enough for the referee to stop the fight. Towards the end of the fight, we see a laboring Justin Gaethje moving forward and applying relentless pressure.

As Justin Moves forward both his hands are up and covering his face. Palomino loads up on a quick one-two. Just as Luis about to throw another right hand, Justin releases a pinpoint right hand that connects just as Luis is about to throw a punch himself. The punch knocks Palomino down and Justin follows up with a few shots and is able to defend his belt for the third time. 

Justin vs Richard Patishnock 

Justin Gaethje won his first title in the lightweight division at WSOF 6. He faced a formidable adversary in Patishnock. This was ‘The highlight’s’ first shot at gold. He showed early on why he would go on to become one of the most loved fighters in the sport. 

An uber-confident Justin Gaethje displayed some amazing skills. His signature kicks, elbows, flying knees were all on display in his first title fight. He had some excellent opportunities early on where he had Richard hurt. However, he himself was hurt a couple of times during the fight. 

The end came when Gaethje had Patishnock against the fence and loaded up on some extremely venomous uppercuts and followed that up with some lethal elbows and right hands as well. The referee jumped in to protect Richard and in the process, Justin tasted gold in MMA for the first time.