Justin Gaethje’s first fight inside the Octagon was one of the most anticipated and long awaited UFC debuts in recent memory. And it lived up to — and maybe even surpassed — expectations on Friday night.
Gaethje, a former WSOF lightweight champion who finally left that organization earlier this year after being one of its staples for years, fought in the big leagues for the very first time at TUF 25 Finale. Unsurprisingly, the spotlight was on him; he headlined the Las Vegas card against top contender Michael Johnson at T-Mobile Arena.
Gaethje vs. Johnson was expected to be a back-and-forth war, and it was that and more. For me, it saved the night, too. The card was mostly slow and lacked action, but things turned up late in the main card, with the climax being the main event.
Right from the opening bell, Gaethje and Johnson threw down like mad men who hated each other (for what it’s worth, there was animosity going in and there was no glove touch). Johnson’s game plan was presumably to keep distance and pot shot from the outside. For the most part, he was unable to do so. This played into Gaethje’s game and was what the debutante wanted. The relentless Gaethje showed off his aggression as he always does in the cage and Johnson could not handle all the pressure. He tried to get off the fence, and while he did somewhat OK doing so, the fence is ultimately where he fell. Gaethje was able to chop Johnson up with leg kicks and rock him with big punches.
All of that said, that’s not to say Johnson never had his moments. The more accurate and powerful striker rocked Gaethje badly on multiple occasions. And he racked up a number of punches just in general, as Gaethje’s defense is greatly lacking. But the undefeated lightweight has one of the best chins in the sport and was able to quickly recover from all of Johnson’s offense, even the shots that would have stopped almost anyone in the division. Both fighters were tired midway through the second round, but Gaethje got the better of the exchanges as the bout went on. As “The Menace” could barely remain on his feet, a knee to the body from “The Highlight” put the Combat Club fighter away.
What was the highlight of the fight?
Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje was the highlight. The whole damn fight was the highlight. Everything about Gaethje vs. Johnson was its highlight. When December rolls around in just under half a year, this fight is bound to be one of the fights on everyone’s mind when discussing 2017’s “Fight of the Year.”
The fact that Gaethje literally doesn’t care about anything when he fights is actually impressive. He simply wants to put on a show, and though that may not be smart long-term or for winning fights, it’s worked so far, as he’s now 18-0, and I respect him for it. That, as per usual when Gaethje fights, stood out to me, as well as his chin. It wasn’t a secret going into his UFC debut that the former All-American wrestler has a good chin, but it’s still surprising when he takes one of the best strikers at 155 pounds’ best shots. Everything about Gaethje — his heart and will to win, his chin, his recovery ability, his pressure — was the highlight of his first UFC fight.
Where do these two go from here?
Well, Gaethje just beat the No. 5 fighter in the lightweight division, so it’s only up from here. He has put himself in line for a huge opportunity in the organization’s best division, and there are many options for him. Gaethje called out Tony Ferguson for an interim title fight after the Johnson win — that would work if Ferguson doesn’t fight Khabib Nurmagomedov. Edson Barboza would be a good next opponent. Kevin Lee’s made a name for himself lately. No matter who Gaethje fights next, and even in the most stacked UFC division, he’s probably only one win away from a title shot, because he’s so damn exciting and appealing to fans.
Johnson is 1-4 in his last five, but don’t let that fool you — he’s still one of the best at 155 pounds. I’m not saying he’ll be in the title picture anytime soon, but I suspect he’ll find his way back to the winning column sooner than later. I’d be down for a fight with Michael Chiesa next.
Watch now, later, or never?
I hope throughout this story I’ve convinced you to watch Gaethje vs. Johnson immediately if you happened to be too busy to watch this barnburner of a fight. If not, go read it over again and maybe that’ll do the trick.