it seem Justin Gaethje has always been a drooler. This goes back to his entry into boxing, over fifteen years ago when he debuted against Kevin Croom. He slammed into Krum so hard that the Broomfield floor shook. In those early days, he would take on his opponents head-on and challenge them to be more violent than he was, and foolish things would fall on those who thought they could.
Even before he made the move from WSOF to the UFC nearly a decade ago, there were concerns about the fighting style and its sustainability — upping the tempo, punching at breakneck speed, kicks, concussive pocket exchanges, the odd downhill tumble amidst the fuss and tangle of limbs. When he celebrated his victory with his signature backflip from the top of the cage?
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Well, even those are full of crazy and dangerous dynamics.
When Gaethje is in a cage, nothing is safe. With 14 fight night bonuses in numerous UFC fights, he is like the embodiment of a Roman candle and never ceases to amaze the crowd.
Justin Gaither himself doesn’t think so. The 37-year-old is preparing to fight Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 on Saturday. Can This is his last fight, and he insists there’s always a way to the madness.
He gets a little annoyed when he hears words like “reckless,” or when people talk about “self-preservation.”
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“I don’t think people understand what I do and what I’ve been doing,” he said. “I think, especially if you’ve never trained, even if you have, you still think I’m taking risks. But I see the punches coming out. I’m always trying to see the punches come out. That’s a big part of what we’re doing. Control your feet and use my footwork.
“It’s those subtle little tricks that have allowed me to be successful over the years. I think people look at fighting differently and I don’t think they understand what I’ve been doing.”
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What Gaethje said in the twilight of his extraordinary career was that he was a somewhat misunderstood artist. Nothing is as imprudent as it seems, at least in the details. If you compare Gaethje, who defeated Luis Firmino and Luis Palomino in his WSOF era, to Gaethje who fought Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier in the UFC, you’ll see that the latter timeline showcases a more technical fighter. The footwork is there. The sound of a jab. Lay a trap. As time went on, he became more and more skilled, perhaps reaching the standard of what some in the industry traditionally call a “technical warrior.”
Still, to the naked eye, the southpaw Gaither looks the same. That said, a movie action hero breathes just fine through bloody nostrils. In his first fight with Rafael Fiziev, he had to be run over by a boulder before he came back to life and won a majority decision. That’s in 2023, long before better footwork is implemented.
When I first visited him at his gym in Denver a decade ago, he was training for his WSOF title fight with Richard Patishnock, taking turns with his opponent in a five-round boxing match. In appearance, he resembles a high-octane predator with difficulty controlling his intensity.
First, he delivered a powerful (but unintentional) knee to the forehead of training partner Jason “The Dragon” Lee, leaving a gash and blood streaming down his face. I remember Gaethje feeling the need to apologize most sincerely, but not downshift. After a while, he had his replacement gasping for air. He then left another resentful kingpin, Lieutenant Nelson, in poor condition. At the time, he was dubbed a “bread and butter” fighter by his long-time trainer Trevor Whitman, meaning a scaffolding wrestler who could be molded into a dangerous striker.
As Justin Gaethje’s prom with Paddy Pimblett approaches, he’s the underdog once again.
(Chris Unger via Getty Images)
What he never lost as he attempted to win the interim lightweight title for a second time over the years was his fearlessness.
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“One important tool I have is that when people do think I’m ignorant or stupid, when they think I don’t know what I’m doing, it allows me to answer any conversation, negotiation, or fight in a way that I think is advantageous,” Gaethje said today. “It’s been a constant craziness since day one. That’s all I’ve ever asked for, these huge opportunities. Yeah, I’m happy to be here. People underestimated me again. It’s very, very good. It’s good for me.”
If we had concerns early on about the sustainability of Gaethje’s style, the answer is that he’s still relevant in 2026. He became the star of the first-ever Paramount+ card, in part because of his perseverance. He has fought against one of the most ridiculous resumes in the sport, with nearly all of his opponents ranked in the top five or better. When we think he’s at a disadvantage, like he did against Fiziev, he digs deep. Even when he was eliminated at UFC 300 by catering to Max Holloway and lunging for the fence while standing in the center of the Octagon, he bounced back.
“I think a lot of the doubt – the reason people doubted me – came from Max Holloway’s performance,” he said.
“Again, recency bias is crazy. Holloway is a former champion, multiple defense champions. I’ve never lost to anyone who wasn’t the champion.”
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Pimblitt has never held a UFC title. If Gaethje wins on Saturday night, it will set up a massive fight against lineal lightweight champion Ilia Topuria for the belt.
Vegas doesn’t like Gaethje’s chances. He was considered a rather weak man.
“This is the 11th time in this sport that I’ve been at a disadvantage,” Gaethje said. “Being in these positions is everything I dreamed of when I started this career. I keep putting myself out here and I keep excelling.
“My record as an underdog is 8-2. Ever since I was little, I’ve always loved being the underdog. So I love this and I love where I’m at.”
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He was the underdog in his rematch with Fiziev last March, but emerged victorious in one of the most thankless assignments of 2025. seem By that time, Gaethje was catching up, a maniac who put up some of the most memorable fights in UFC history. But Gaethje doesn’t think so.
“I’m still writing my book,” he said. “We all want to create a legacy. I’m trying to create a legacy. I think if I can do it the way I want, they might make a movie.”
If they did, a good title might be: Nothing is as it seems.
