Justin Gaethje coaches against Eddie Alvarez for TUF 26
I JUST WANT TO BE HERE
But this season does feature another tournament seeding, which we saw before with the male flyweights. Now the seeds are already decided when you guys take your pic. So let's take a look at the bracket. So far, Roxanne picks up the winner tonight, as 16 fighters are now down to 15. It does, of course, take three consecutive wins to make it to December 1st finale.
So Justin, your second pick was the number 10 seed. And like we said, you didn't know where they were seeded. So what was it about her that made you pick her next?
- That's Rachel?
- Yeah.
- Yeah. So we did a-- we got to split up the two eighth women groups, and we got to evaluate each of them. And the main thing I focused on-- me in my coach Trevor Wittman-- was a little interview. You know, seeing where they were mentally, and you know, how happy they were to be here, how willing they were to be coached.
ANNOUNCER 1: But is there-- do you have like, trigger words, certain things you wanted to hear?
- Yeah, I want to hear I need to grow. I want to grow. Not I'm the best in the world. Not-- I want to see-- I want you to exude confidence, bot overconfidence, not false confidence. I want you to be there to work.
- All these talks of rankings and seeds, and this and that, it's very, very complicated. But let's break it down and keep it simple. Who has the better team now that they're all picked?
- Me. I got eight girls that are ready to work. It's crazy. When I picked my team, my main goal wasn't to win this thing. I wanted eight girls that wanted to-- that wanted to get better.
- You had no intention of winning this thing?
- I promised--
I want the belt, but alvarez is next
Gaethje has made it perfectly clear that he wants to be the next UFC lightweight champion. Although he only has one bout under his belt under the UFC banner, he will look to dethrone UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor if given the opportunity. A title fight might be down the line, but he has his next fight already lined up.
Since making his UFC debut earlier this year, fight fans have been waiting for the return of the former WSOF champion. Gaethje is one of the best-kept secrets in MMA. He scored a victory over Michael Johnson at the finale of The Ultimate Fighter season 25 in July. Shortly after that bout, the UFC decided to set him up to coach TUF 26 opposite Eddie Alvarez.
According to a report from BJPenn.com’s Chris Taylor, a date has been made for the fight, which is UFC 218. Unfortunately, one of the negatives of this bout being added to the upcoming PPV (pay-per-view) event is the fact that it will not be the main event. No main event means no five round fight, which is a bummer considering that it should be a great fight that fans would love to see extended from three rounds to five.
Gaethje usually doesn’t need that long to finish his bouts. His last decision (one of two over his entire career) was back in 2014. On the flip side, Alvarez has gone to the scorecards a bit more.
UFC 218 will be held on December 2, 2017, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.It should be noted that this event doesn’t have a headlining fight attached. If you recall, UFC President Dana White has already gone on record by saying that the promotion attempted to set up Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title. Obviously, that bout isn’t happening thanks to Jones’ latest drug test failure.
JUSTIN GAETHJE VS MICHAEL JOHNSON
WIN 2ND ROUND KO
JUTIN GAETHJE WON 2 PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT BONUSES IN HIS UFC MAIN EVENT DEBUTE
The contempt between Justin Gaethje and Michael Johnson finally came to a head inside the octagon, and it was a sight to behold.
Gaethje (18-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) overcame nearly being finished twice to storm back for a finish of his own, defeating Johnson (17-12 MMA, 9-8 UFC) via second-round TKO in one of the most memorable UFC debuts in history.
The lightweight bout headlined today’s UFC event, The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.
“You cannot break me,” Gaethje said. “I promise you. You better put me to sleep.”
It appeared that came close to happening on two occasions during this slugfest. Gaethje was getting the better of some spectacular exchanges with Johnson for most of the first round, until Johnson connected flush with a right hook that badly wobbled Gaethje. Johnson went for the finish, and he might’ve gotten it, though the bell sounded.
Both fighters came out swinging again in the second round, and again Johnson landed a right hand that wobbled Gaethje but didn’t drop him. Though Johnson failed to finish, he settled in and found holes in Gaethje’s defense, allowing him to land the better shots.
That is, until Gaethje hit an uppercut in the final 90 seconds that discombobulated Johnson. From there, Gaethje continued to pour it on with more uppercuts, busting up Johnson’s face until a knee signaled the end when “Big John” McCarthy stepped in at the 4:42 mark.
“‘Big John’ said I was almost out,” Gaethje said. “I was never out of that fight. Never.”
Gatheje, the former World Series of Fighting champion, remains undefeated and seemingly could have his choice of opponent as he’ll almost assuredly climb into the top five of the UFC rankings.
“Where is my equal at?,” he said. “I’m 18-0 with 15 knockouts. Who is my equal? That’s who I want.”
Justin Gaethje signs with the UFC
For three-and-half years, Justin Gaethje took the World Series of Fighting by storm. The promotion’s inaugural lightweight champion went 10-0 while under its banner, with nine of his wins by stoppage.
“This is America, man. You’ve got to negotiate,” Gaethje recently told MMAjunkie Radio. “As soon as I was a free agent I was a little nervous.”
Naturally, the choice came down to either the UFC and Bellator, with the UFC winning out and signing Gaethje in early May. Now Gaethje makes his debut this week when he faces Michael Johnson (17-11 MMA, 9-7 UFC) in the FS1-televised The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale headliner Friday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It’s the type of high-profile matchup Gaethje hoped for and expected after his exit from WSOF. And as long as other factors fell into place, the UFC was always going to be where he would decide to challenge himself.
“Hindsight, of course, I knew I was going to get a chance to fight Michael Johnson or somebody in the top five, top six,” Gaethje said. “As long as the money matched up, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
Gaethje, though, had nothing but good things to say about his dealings with Bellator.
“I give Bellator respect. They wanted me, and they respectfully came and tried to do it,” he said. “We talked a couple times. I like those guys over there. I have nothing but respect for them.”
Justin Gaethje vs Luis Firmino December 31st, 2016
Win 3rd round TKO
Justin Gaethje retains WSOF Lightweight World Championship
The opening round saw a blistering Firmino bullrush into the lightweight champion bringing them immediately to the canvas. They grappled in an exchange that didn’t progress leading the referee to bring them back to their feet. There, Gaethje found himself in his element landing sharp jabs and catching Firmino on his forward counter attempts. The two eventually found themselves grappling against the cage with Firmino burning the final seconds of the round hanging on Gaethje’s back looking for a choke. The lightweight champion retaliated with a creative combination: a heavy body kick and a rolling back kick attempt that swung into the chin of Firmino right when the bell sounded.
The second was a mixture of Gaethje counters to Firmino’s excellent jab. The Brazilian is known for his grappling but found a lot of success standing, working on a simple combination that landed multiple times straight through Gaethje’s hands. By the end of the round Firmino’s face was inflamed and the lightweight champion’s energy faded massively from absorbing plenty of shots. The same exchange of punches continued into the third but at a labored pace. Both men had exhausted themselves by eating one anothers strikes but also swinging with any might they had left heading into the fourth. Before the interlude, Buscape’s eyes were swollen shut. Unfortunately it was Firmino’s swollen eye that ultimately caused the end of the fight with the commission declaring he was no longer fit to fight.
Justin Gaethje vs Brian Foster March 12th, 2016
Win 1st round KO
Justin Gaethje retains WSOF Lightweight World Championship
Foster is in the red trunks tonight. Gaethje is in the yellow and gray. Foster is 25-8 and fights out of Englewood, Colorado. Gaethje is 15-0 and fights out of Denver, Colorado as the Lightweight champion. Our referee in charge of this main event is Tom Johnson.
Round 1: Foster comes forward swinging but doesn't land the kill shot. Gaethje stands and delivers and Foster lands on his back. Gaethje backs up and lets Foster stand up at 43 seconds. Wild first minute. Foster ducks the right hand from Gaethje. Gaethje fires a leg kick that makes Foster limp a little on his left leg. Gaethje lands it again and Foster goes down off the third kick and Gaethje wins at 1:43. Backflip off the cage fence to celebrate for Gaethje.
Final result: Justin Gaethje by TKO (leg kicks) at 1:43 of the first round.
-end-
Justin Gaethje vs Luis Palomino II, September 18th, 2015
Win Round 2 KO
Justin Gaethje retains WSOF Lightweight World Championship
WSOF lightweight champ Justin Gaethje (15-0) and hard-hitting Luis Palomino (23-11) combined for their second “Fight of the Year” candidate with another thrilling championship battle. Gaethje and Palomino earned MMAjunkie’s “Fight of the Month” in March for an epic slugfest, and the encore was equal to the first. Both men charged at each other from the opening bell and began to trade leather until Gaethje landed a fight-ending series of punches in the second round.
Justin Gaethje vs Luis Palomino March 28th, 2015
Win Round 3 TKO
Justin Gaethje retains WSOF Lightweight World Championship
Continuing the trend of excellent fights outside the UFC this weekend, Justin Gaethje and Luis Palomino put on quite a show for the lightweight title in their rousing main event at last night’s (Sat., March 28, 2015) World Series of Fighting (WSOF) 19 from the Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona.
The bout featured a ton of back-and-forth action, starting with Gaethje’s nonstop aggressive Muay Thai striking and wrestling takedowns, but “Baboon” fought back with the heart of a champion to pepper Gaethje with counter shots that wobbled the champion on more than one occasion.
In the end, Gaethje retained his title and picked up his second defense, bludgeoning Palomino with some bloodthirsty low kicks to finish him off in the third round of a clear candidate for “Fight of the Year” thus far. It was the greatest fight that the young WSOF has ever put on, and it may be the one that propels the hyper-aggressive Gaethje to future stardom.
Justin Gaethje vs Melvin Guillard Nov 15, 2014
Win 3rd round Decision
Justin Gaethje retains WSOF Lightweight World Championship
Round 1
Gaethje opens with a pair of leg kicks. Guillard is calmly evading the champion’s punches. “The Highlight Reel” lunges forward with strikes ad Guillard begins looking to find a home for his uppercut. Gethje puts his hans down and says something to bait the UFC veteran into a firefight. Against the cage, the champion lands a left hand and slips on a high kick. “The Young Assassin” gives chase but is unable to find the mark. The champion continues to press the action, and eventually seems to stun Guillard in the closing seconds. The men are pulled apart by referee Josh Rutgers after the bell. 10-9 Gathje.
Round 2
Against the cage, The Grudge fighter lands with an uppercut and follows with a straight left. Gaethje lands a knee as Guillard moves away. Both men are content to stay close, “The Highlight Reel” connects eiyh a pair of elbows and looks to use the thai clinch to knee his opponent. Guillard begins to uppercut, Gaethje backs away holding his eye and resets. The Champion continues to push the action against the cage, both men are landing. In the phone booth, they fight for control of the thai clinch, where the champion, again,eats some uppercuts and backs away. The fighter form Arizona closes the round with a big kick. 10-9 Gaethje.
Round 3
The champion opens with big leg kicks, which are seemingly beginning to affect his would-be title challenger. Guillard drills to the face with a big left and right straight. Gaethje is sending “The Young Assassin” stumbling sideways with every leg kick. “The Highlight Reel” gets into the clinch, looks for a knee, backs away and drills the leg repeatedly. The UFC veteran’s movement is nearly nonexistent at this point. They clinch up in a shoulder-and-collar tie, which Melvin gets the best of. Geathje Swings wide and connects as they clinch. On separation, The lightweight champion lands another leg kick that sends Guillard down. The round closes as the champ has found his range and connects heavy on his opponent, launching one final slapping high kick just before the final bell. 10-9 Gaethje (30-27 Gaethje).
Read more at http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/World-Series-of-Fighting-15-Results-PlaybyPlay-Updates-76939#4iZkwbl2gr3ZTfoA.99
Justin Gaethje vs Nick Newell July 5th, 2014
Win 2nd round TKO
Justin Gaethje retains WSOF Lightweight World Championship
While Nick Newell has made a career out of defying expectations, ultimately this time Justin Gaethje just proved to be too much. Gaethje thoroughly battered the one-handed Newell in WSOF 11's main event, before finishing the job with a second-round TKO to defend his World Series of Fighting lightweight title in the promotion's much anticipated debut on NBC.
Gaethje (12-0) blasted the previously unbeaten Newell (11-1) with hard salvos of overhand rights from the opening bell and easily shucked off Newell's takedown attempts, which grew more desperate and labored as the opening frame went on. Gaethje continued to work, unloading a steady procession of grounded knees and elbows to burst open a wide cut across Newell's forehead above his right eye, then nearly sent Newell home with a massive flurry of strikes at the horn.
The second round brought more of the same, as Gaethje bludgeoned an exhausted and blood-drenched Newell with right hands and hard shots to the body. Ringside officials briefly stopped the fight to inspect Newell's cut, but regardless the end was imminent, as Gaethje stormed out from the break and toppled Newell with another salvo of right hands to bring a stop to the contest at 3:09 of the second round.
"I've been asking for one thing, and that's a war. And that's what Nick just gave me," a tired Gaethje said afterward. "So I appreciate him and I thank him.
"Every time I talked about this fight, I said he's got heart and more confidence than anybody I've ever fought and it was going to be a task to make him quit. And that's exactly what it was."
Justin Gaethje vs Richard Patishnock June 18th, 2014
win 1st round TKO
Justin Gaethje becomes WSOF 1st Lightweight World Champion
In the night’s headline bout, Justin Gaethje (11-0) won the inaugural WSOF lightweight title with a dominating TKO over Rich Patishnock (6-2) in Round 1.
These two wasted no time in feeling each other out as Gaethje came forward like a man possessed and Patishnock had no problem meeting him head on. Both men took hard shots but Gaethje was not fazed and would wobble his opponent with a hard right hand. It was all Gaethje from there as he unloaded a mixture of punches, knees and elbows that would ultimately force the referee to jump in and call a halt to the action and crowning Gaethje as the lightweight champion.
Justin Gaethje vs Dan Lauzon Oct, 26th 2013
Win 1st round KO
The World Series of Fighting lightweight division took center stage to kick off the WSOF 6 main card with Dan Lauzon, the younger brother of UFC veteran Joe, and the always tough Justin Gaethje.
Lauzon was hoping to keep his winning streak alive, but it wouldn’t be easy with the tough test he had ahead.
Both men came storming to the center of the stage after the opening bell rang, with wild shots and some quick work inside of the clinch. It was a furious pace to begin the fight with both men throwing power shots that made you feel the fight could end at any minute.
Gaethje landed a spinning back elbow that landed flush on Lauzon’s dome, but he seemed able to keep his composure and fight through the dangerous combinations.
Lauzon was trying to gut it out and show how durable of a fighter he was , but Gaethje was landing some brutal leg kicks that were adding up and left Lauzon struggling to remain on his feet. After a few more leg kicks with a minute to go, Lauzon was unable to stay on his feet and the right leg of Lauzon was barely keeping him up.
Somehow, Lauzon escaped the round, but he appeared to be on borrowed time.
Lauzon switched stances to start Round 2, but Gaethje showed no mercy and just began chopping at the opposite leg. Gaethje continued to work the leg kicks, which Lauzon had no answer for.
After Lauzon could barely stand, Gaethje delivered a devastating right hook and uppercut as Lauzon was going to his feet.
The referee had to stop in to stop the fight, as Gaethje remained unbeaten and showed the world that he is in fact the real deal.
Justin Gaethje vs Brian Cobb June 14th 2013
Win 3rd round TKO
Justin Gaethje
Record: 8-0 overall, 1-0 in WSOF
Key Wins: Gesias Cavalcante (WSOF 2), Drew Fickett (RITC 163)
Key Losses: none
How he got here: While Gaethje has not been competing for a very long time yet, he's made one hell of an impact thus far in his mixed martial arts career. The Arizona native first began fighting as an amateur back in 2009 while still attending college in Colorado, crushing his opposition and winning all of his bouts.
Eventually, he'd had enough of fighting for free and decided to go pro, starting his pro career off with three knockout victories in just four months including a brutal slam in his debut bout.
Gaethje progressed up the ranks, becoming a top contender for the Rage in the Cage promotion, even knocking UFC veteran Drew Fickett out cold in just 12 seconds last October. He made his World Series of Fighting debut this past March and put on a hell of a show against top veteran Gesias Cavalcante, blasting the Brazilian with standing elbows and opening up a brutal cut which forced a doctor stoppage before the first round was halfway over.
The victory earned Gaethje another fight against another tough veteran in Cobb, who's also experienced success in the WSOF cage.
Justin Gaethje vs Gesias Cavalcante March 23rd 2013
Win 1st round TKO
In what was a one-round barn-burner, Gaethje was able to get the most of the wild exchanges, clipping "JZ" repeatedly with perfectly placed uppercuts and knees, one of of which busted the Brazilian's head wide open, forcing the referee to pause the action for a ringside doctor's check up.
The doctor felt he had seen enough damage to call a halt to the bout just 2:27 into the very first round -- much to the dismay of the fans -- giving Gaethje his eighth consecutive win and Cavalcante several stitches as souvenirs.
Judging by the picture above, courtesy of the talented Ryan Loco, it's safe to say the stoppage was justified.