Justin Ray Gaethje is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
He is the former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion, as well as the current UFC BMF Champion. He is the second fighter in the history of the UFC to be awarded the BMF championship. He won the BMF championship on 29th of July 2023 at UFC 291. As of August 1, 2023, he is #2 in the UFC lightweight rankings.
Born in Safford, Arizona, Gaethje began wrestling when he was four years old. He was a two-time Arizona state champion as a wrestler at Safford High School, and an NCAA Division I All-American during his time at the University of Northern Colorado. He began his amateur MMA career while in college, turned professional in 2011 and joined the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) in 2013, where he became Lightweight Champion. He defended his WSOF belt five times before vacating it to join the UFC in 2017.
