Justin Gaethje’s championship credentials were questionable when he joined the UFC in 2017.
There was a distinct lack of quality opponents on his 17-0 record after a title-winning run with World Series of Fighting.
Justin Gaethje’s wild UFC debut fight with Michael Johnson was fun, but it didn’t scream top contender.
Back-to-back knockout losses against Dustin Poirier and Eddie Alvarez suggested he would be the lightweight gatekeeper before he began sleeping people during an incredible four-fight title charge.
- READ MORE: Dan Hooker makes two very different predictions for his fight with Justin Gaethje at UFC 313
Justin Gaethje KO’d UFC bogeyman
Gaethje kicked off his epic run of UFC wins by putting James Vick out cold with one punch in 2018.
It was a good scalp at the time, but the victory didn’t age well as Vick developed a glass jaw afterward.
The former UFC star has been KO’d four times since facing Gaethje. Most recently, he was left in a coma for ‘a couple of days’ after being caught with a switch kick by fellow MMA veteran Rafael Alves at Karate Combat 47.
People started to take Gaethje seriously as a title threat when he picked up his next big knockout win.
Edson Barboza boasts one of the most impressive highlight reels in MMA history. The Brazilan phenom is famous for his spinning back kick knockout win over Terry Etim, but he’s also stopped Beneil Dariush and Dan Hooker in sensational style.
Gaethje’s gung-ho approach to fighting seemed like it would put him at risk of being put to sleep by Barboza – but that’s the opposite of what happened when they clashed at UFC Philidelphia in March 2019.
‘The Highlight’ made it look easy as he cracked Barboza with one shot to close the show in under three minutes.
Gaethje celebrated wildly as his opponent was scarily left stiff as a board on the UFC Octagon floor.
Justin Gaethje names toughest opponent
Two more KO wins over Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone and Tony Ferguson earned him an interim UFC title.
However, Gaethje is yet to realize his dream of becoming a fully fledged champion in MMA’s premier promotion.
Khabib Nurmagomedov thwarted his first attempt at the UFC’s biggest prize before retiring in May 2020.
Charles Oliveira stopped him from winning it at the second time of asking two years later.
Gaethje became a champion of sorts by claiming the BMF belt when avenged his defeat to Poirier.
The 36-year-old hasn’t fought since Max Holloway took that belt from him with a last-gasp faceplant KO at UFC 300 in April 2024.
All these years later, Gaethje still considers Nurmagomedov the best opponent he’s ever fought.
“I think Khabib was probably [was toughest],” Gaethje recently said.
“Even if I performed better I’m not sure I could have beat him on that night.
“So that night, when I fought Khabib, he was one of the toughest opponents to date.
“I wanna fight [Islam] Makhachev… I do believe that is a better matchup for me than Khabib.”
To earn a fight with the current 155lb king, Gaethje must impress against Hooker at UFC 313 on March 8.