Justin Gaethje proved that he was more than a wrestler very early in his MMA career.
Today, ‘The Highlight’ is known for his devastating KO power and love for brawling in the Octagon.
Justin Gaethje badly knocked out James Vick to begin his lightweight title charge in 2018.
Fans started to believe he was something special when UFC bogeyman Edson Barboza got slept too – but he was knocking opponents out long before UFC boss Dana White called him up to the big leagues.
Justin Gaethje’s 12-second knockout
By October 2012, Justin Gaethje was a 5-0 prospect with a little bit of hype behind him.
The future UFC title contender took things to the next level by facing 61-fight veteran, Drew Fickett.
At the peak of his powers, Fickett had seven fights in the UFC against the likes of Nick Diaz and Josh Koscheck, who he choked out when they fought in October 2005.
However, he’d lost five of his past six fights by the time he was matched up with a young Gaethje.
It was the perfect opportunity for the future interim UFC champion to get a big-name win on his record.
When the time came, Gaethje beat Fickett in 12 seconds to record the quickest win of his career.
A massive right hook connected clean before Gaethje followed Fickett to the floor with a flying punch.
Several ground strikes had the veteran’s head bouncing off the canvas before the referee jumped in to save him – but it was too late as Fickett had already been rendered unconscious by Gaethje’s vicious onslaught.
What’s next for Justin Gaethje?
Gaethje will look to earn himself another 155lb title fight at UFC 313 in Las Vegas on March 8.
An eagerly anticipated five-round co-main event clash with Dan Hooker stands in his way next weekend.
A win could put him in line to face Islam Makhachev after previously losing against his teammate, Khabib Nuramgomedov, who he believes is a much tougher matchup than the current pound-for-pound number one.
“I think Khabib was probably [was toughest],” Gaethje said during a recent YouTube Q&A session.
“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.”
He added: “I wanna fight Makhachev… I do believe that is a better matchup for me than Khabib.”