Justin Gaethje UFC

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Justin Gaethje beats Michael Johnson by TKO at TUF 25 Finale

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Justin Gaethje improved to 18-0 with a second round TKO win over Michael Johnson in Las Vegas at the TUF 25 Finale. Gaethje was in control for most of the fight but almost got knocked out late in the first round. The UFC rookie survived the round to finish Johnson in an instant classic at the T-Mobile Arena in the main event.

Michael Johnson had his moments in the fight but couldn’t keep up with Gaethje as the former WSOF champ threw strikes from all angles with kicks and punches to the head and body. Johnson is now relegated to gatekeeper status as he is 1-4 in his last five fights. The former TUF star has wins over big names like Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson and Edson Barbosa but seems to come up short against the elite of the division like Nate Diaz, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Gaethje.




Gaethje asked to fight his equal after the win but stopped short of calling anyone out specifically. A fight with Nurmagomedov would be a big test but I would imagine the UFC would put him up against someone like Kevin Lee before throwing him into a top two or three opponent. Lee is coming off a big win over Michael Chiesa last month so a matchup with Gaethje makes a lot of sense on paper.

At 28 years of age Gaethje has a lot of potential to reach the top of the UFC lightweight division. However, his fighting style could lead to an early grave. Gaethje will take 3 punches to deliver a leg kick only to tuck his chin and get hit a few more times.

The Johnson-Gaethje fight was a lot of fun and would’ve been impossible to top had it not gone on last. I imagine both men will get a little something extra in the check tonight from the UFC bosses.