Justin Gaethje

About

Justin Ray Gaethje ( GAY-jee; born November 14, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist. A professional since 2011, he competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Lightweight Champion. He is the first fighter in UFC history to win the interim lightweight title twice and is also a former UFC “BMF” titleholder. Gaethje formerly competed in the lightweight division of the World Series of Fighting (WSOF), where he was the first and only WSOF Lightweight Champion. As of June 16, 2026, he is #4 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings.
Nicknamed “the Highlight,” five of Gaethje’s bouts—against Michael Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, and Max Holloway—have been named Fight of the Year by multiple media outlets. He has earned 17 post-fight bonus awards in 16 UFC appearances, the highest bonuses-per-fight rate in UFC history, and holds the record for the most Fight of the Night bonuses in UFC history, with 11. At 37 years old, he became the oldest fighter to win a UFC lightweight title. As of July 2026, Fight Matrix ranks him as the sixth-greatest lightweight fighter of all time.

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