In the unforgiving world of combat sports, UFC lightweight star Justin Gaethje has carved out a reputation as the sport’s real-life Wolverine, defined by his wild, relentless, and ferocious fighting style. The Denver native competes at a level where pain is merely background noise. The only way to stop him is to completely shut him down—but even then, he finds a way to rise, pressing forward with unrelenting pressure and often dragging opponents into deep waters they never saw coming.

Years ago, UFC commentator Joe Rogan captured Justin Gaethje’s violent brilliance perfectly when he said, “Justin Gaethje’s a monster,” highlighting the “terrifying” presence ‘The Highlight’ brings into every fight. Today, the former interim champ is nothing short of a force in the UFC. Win or lose, he’s stepped into the Octagon 14 times — and earned a total of 14 post-fight bonuses, racking up $950,000 in bonus money.

That alone is impressive, but his resume goes further. He’s taken home both Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night in a single event more than once. So, what fuels Justin Gaethje’s “unmatched” success? The former BMF Champion finally spoke about that while appearing on the Makeshift podcast. Gaethje revealed his initial collegiate wrestling days forged his inner fire, leaving him physically wrecked after every match. He explained,

“Now I’m in 15- and 25-minute competitions. If I were to wrestle for seven minutes, get that exhausted, and still lose—I’d never forgive myself. I never would’ve made the money I did. I never would’ve come this far. You know, I wouldn’t be 12 for 12, nine for seven. I got nine bonuses in my first seven fights. No one will ever touch that… Untouchable.”

Justin Gaethje has been pure chaos in motion throughout his UFC run. The only times he left the Octagon without a post-fight bonus were in defeats to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254 and Charles Oliveira at UFC 274. In every other appearance—win or lose—’The Highlight’ left a mark, often walking away with multiple bonuses. He did it in his debut against Michael Johnson, and again versus Edson Barboza, earning FOTN & POTN.

After being knocked out by Max Holloway at UFC 300, Justin Gaethje answered his critics with an impressive bounce-back win over Rafael Fiziev in their UFC 313 rematch. Now set to return to the Octagon soon, ‘The Highlight’ has made it clear—he’s done chasing thrill fights. From here on out, he’s only interested in serious, high-stakes matchups.

Justin Gaethje laid out his future plans in the UFC

Since stepping into the octagon, Justin Gaethje has carved out a name for himself as one of the most electrifying and fierce fighters in the game, always ready to bring the heat and create mayhem in the cage. One of the most unforgettable moments went down at UFC 300, when he stepped into the Octagon against Max Holloway in a legendary clash. The two went toe-to-toe in a fierce showdown, trading heavy blows for almost five full rounds. With just a tick left on the clock in the final round, Holloway delivered a walk-off knockout that’s now being celebrated as one of the all-time greats in MMA history.

Even though he keeps delivering knockout performances, Justin Gaethje believes he’s getting the short end of the stick in the title race. He’s already thrown down for UFC gold twice and even saved UFC 313 by stepping up on short notice to take on Rafael Fiziev. As UFC 317 looms on the horizon, with Charles Oliveira gearing up to clash with Ilia Topuria for the vacant lightweight title, the Denver standout feels like he’s getting the short end of the stick once more.

On the Makeshift Project podcast, Gaethje came out swinging,

“I’m not gonna fight for fun anymore. They owe me a championship fight. I’m 3-1 the last four. They came to my house, begged me to fight Max Holloway at UFC 300. In what I consider an exhibition fight — I don’t mean that the loss is not on my record, I mean it had nothing to do with the rankings, you know?”

Justin Gaethje is stepping into the octagon with no reservations — and he could be onto something big. After all he’s put on the line, is the UFC turning a blind eye to him? Is he ready to step into the Octagon and take on Ilia Topuria for the vacant lightweight championship? What’s your game plan? Is it time for Gaethje to step into the octagon for a title shot? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments!