Justin Gaethje "The Highlight"
Justin Gaethje, known as "The Highlight", is a mixed martial artist from the United States listed in the Lightweight division. Justin Gaethje holds a professional record of 28-5-0, including 11-5-0 inside the UFC. Of those UFC wins, 7 came by knockout or TKO, 0 by submission and 4 by decision. Justin Gaethje stands 5'11", has a 70-inch reach, fights out of a orthodox stance, and is 37 years old. Justin Gaethje is currently on a 3-fight winning streak and is listed as Active.
Justin Gaethje profile
| Division | Lightweight |
|---|---|
| Professional record | 28-5-0 |
| UFC record | 11-5-0 |
| Division rank | C |
| Status | Active |
| Country | United States |
| Age | 37 |
| Date of birth | 1988-11-14 |
| Height | 5'11" |
| Reach | 70" |
| Leg reach | 40" |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Last weigh-in | 155 lbs |
| Current streak | W3 |
| Total octagon time | 3h 22m |
Striking statistics
| Significant strikes landed per minute | 6.29 |
|---|---|
| Significant strikes absorbed per minute | 6.83 |
| Striking accuracy | 57.6% |
| Striking defense | 50.7% |
| Knockdowns per 15 minutes | 0.67 |
| Strikes to the head | 66.2% |
| Strikes to the body | 10.9% |
| Strikes to the legs | 22.9% |
Grappling statistics
| Takedowns per 15 minutes | 0.3 |
|---|---|
| Takedown defense | 73.3% |
| Submission attempts per 15 minutes | 0 |
| Average control time per fight (seconds) | 49.81 |
UFC finish breakdown
| UFC wins by KO/TKO | 7 |
|---|---|
| UFC wins by submission | 0 |
| UFC wins by decision | 4 |
Justin Gaethje recorded fight history
Recorded bouts across promotions. This list can be incomplete and is not a substitute for the published full career record.
| Date | Promotion | Event | Opponent | Result | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-14 | UFC | UFC Freedom 250 | Ilia Topuria | win | Corner Stoppage |
| 2026-01-24 | UFC | UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimblett | Paddy Pimblett | win | Decision · Unanimous |
| 2025-03-08 | UFC | UFC 313: Pereira vs. Ankalaev | Rafael Fiziev | win | Decision · Unanimous |
| 2024-04-13 | UFC | UFC 300: Pereira vs. Hill | Max Holloway | loss | Punch to Head At Distance |
| 2023-07-29 | UFC | UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 | Dustin Poirier | win | Kick to Head At Distance |
| 2023-03-18 | UFC | UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3 | Rafael Fiziev | win | Decision · Majority |
| 2022-05-07 | UFC | UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje | Charles Oliveira | loss | Rear Naked Choke |
| 2021-11-06 | UFC | UFC 268: Usman vs. Covington 2 | Michael Chandler | win | Decision · Unanimous |
| 2020-10-24 | UFC | UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje | Khabib Nurmagomedov | loss | Triangle Choke From Bottom Guard |
| 2020-05-09 | UFC | UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje | Tony Ferguson | win | Punch to Head At Distance |
| 2019-09-14 | UFC | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Gaethje | Donald Cerrone | win | Punch to Head At Distance |
| 2019-03-30 | UFC | UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Gaethje | Edson Barboza | win | Punch to Head At Distance |
| 2018-08-25 | UFC | UFC Fight Night: Gaethje vs. Vick | James Vick | win | Punch to Head In Clinch |
| 2018-04-14 | UFC | UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Gaethje | Dustin Poirier | loss | Punch to Head In Clinch |
| 2017-12-02 | UFC | UFC 218: Holloway vs. Aldo 2 | Eddie Alvarez | loss | Knee to Head In Clinch |
| 2017-07-07 | UFC | The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption Finale | Michael Johnson | win | Knees to Head In Clinch |
| 2016-12-31 | WSOF | WSOF 34: Gaethje vs. Firmino | Luiz Firmino | win | Doctor Stoppage (Swollen Eye) · 5:00 · R3 |
| 2016-03-12 | WSOF | WSOF 29: Gaethje vs. Foster | Brian Foster | win | Leg Kicks · 1:43 · R1 |
| 2015-09-18 | WSOF | WSOF 23: Gaethje vs. Palomino 2 | Luis Palomino | win | Punches · 4:40 · R2 |
| 2015-03-28 | WSOF | WSOF 19: Gaethje vs. Palomino | Luis Palomino | win | Leg Kick & Punches · 3:57 · R3 |
| 2014-11-15 | WSOF | WSOF 15: Branch vs. Okami | Melvin Guillard | win | Decision · Split |
| 2014-07-05 | WSOF | WSOF 11: Gaethje vs. Newell | Nick Newell | win | Punch · 3:09 · R2 |
| 2014-01-18 | WSOF | WSOF 8: Gaethje vs. Patishnock | Richard Patishnock | win | Punches · 1:09 · R1 |
| 2013-10-26 | WSOF | WSOF 6: Burkman vs. Carl | Dan Lauzon | win | Punches · 1:40 · R2 |
| 2013-06-14 | WSOF | WSOF 3: Fitch vs. Burkman 2 | Brian Cobb | win | Leg Kicks · 2:19 · R3 |
| 2013-03-23 | WSOF | WSOF 2: Arlovski vs. Johnson | Gesias Cavalcante | win | Doctor Stoppage (Cut) · 2:27 · R1 |
| 2012-11-16 | RITC | win | TKO | ||
| 2012-10-20 | RITC | Drew Fickett | win | Punch · 0:12 · R1 | |
| 2012-09-29 | RITC | Sam Young | win | SUB | |
| 2012-06-02 | ROF | ROF 43: Bad Blood | Marcus Edwards | win | Decision · Unanimous |
| 2011-12-17 | ROF | ROF 42: Who's Next | Donnie Bell | win | Strikes · 2:57 · R2 |
| 2011-10-01 | Unknown | Joe Kelso | win | TKO | |
| 2011-08-20 | ROF | ROF 41: Bragging Rights! | Kevin Croom | win | Slam · 1:01 · R1 |
More lightweight fighters
Justin Gaethje is listed in the Lightweight database division.
Medical and compliance records
View Justin Gaethje's public medical and compliance records.
UFC medical and compliance records
Explore the free UFC prediction archive.
Sources and methodology
Career records and bout history are compiled from published MMA records. UFC performance metrics use published bout statistics; percentiles and derived metrics are calculated by Verdikt AI. Data can change after official corrections.
How to compare records and statistics · Read the methodology or report a correction.
