UFC: Ranking Justin Gaethje's best UFC wins so far
Justin Gaethje beat the bookies at UFC 249 when he picked apart a bloodied and battered Tony Ferguson to become the interim Lightweight champion. Gaethje is the only fighter in UFC history to earn a fight night bonus in each of his seven appearances, showcasing the reason why he is nicknamed the ‘Highlight’. Gaethje was unstoppable on the night against Ferguson, striking with precision and devastating power to take his record to 5-2, but how did this phenomenal performance compare to his previous triumphs?
Let’s have a look below on his five best victories in descending order:
5. James Vick, UFC Fight Night 135, August 25, 2018
It took Gaethje just 87 seconds to dismantle the trash-talking Texan James Vick with a thunderous right hand at UFC 135 in Nebraska. The ‘Highlight’ was originally scheduled to do battle with Al Iaquinta, but the American withdrew from the fight ‘claiming he needed to rest his shoulder.’ Vick stepped up and started his textbook trash-talking at every opportunity, even calling Gaethje the “Homer Simpson of the MMA.”
Gaethje responded in the octagon, picking the Texan apart, eventually putting him to the sword with his blistering right hand. It ended Gaethje’s two-fight streak – sending a very clear message to the rest of the lightweight division.
4. Michael Johnson, The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption Finale, July 7, 2017
Gaethje made a gleaming UFC debut when he went toe-to-toe with Michael Johnson at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The ‘Highlight’ performed the herculean task of defeating a solid and resilient Johnson, to earn the clinical striker a well-deserved win. Many named the bout UFC Fight of the Year 2017, praising the two fighters’ momentum shifts and mouth-watering sequences that took place over two electric rounds.
Gaethje settled early with leg kicks, before breaking Johnson down with a flurry of body shots. But with less than 30 seconds remaining in round one, Johnson marked Gaethje with a massive right hand that wobbled him, but the brawler survived the first. The late scare didn’t deter Gaethje, who continued to grind down Johnson in the second round. However, Gaethje was forced to dig deep again when Johnson landed another big right and the ‘Highlight’ found himself in a second survival mode.
Gaethje’s constant pressure eventually paid off, when he landed a colossal uppercut late in the second round which broke an exhausted Johnson’s defenses. The clinical striker wasted no time and eventually brought about the finish, piling on the pressure, backed Johnson against the cage walls, and put the fight to bed with a final salvo of shots.