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Gaethje is now known for engaging in brutal slugfests, making him one of the most entertaining fighters on the UFC roster. But Gaethje was originally a college wrestler who learned striking under the tutelage of coach Trevor Wittman. Gaethje recently revealed that had already competed in five amateur fights before Wittman took him under his wing. Gaethje had neither thrown a punch nor been hit by a punch before his fifth amateur fight. However, while most wrestlers are not fan favorites, Gaethje was an entertainer even with pure wrestling. Gaethje earned his moniker, “The Highlight” even before he started striking. Gaethje recently revealed that he earned his nickname from slamming his opponents.
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“I had five amateur fights,” Gaethje told Joe Rogan. “Never had a street fight, no 1-on-1 street fight, couple of big brawls. Never thrown a punch, never been punched. I got hit hard in my fifth fight, almost got knocked out. I was like, ‘If I want to do this I need to find a coach.’… I had no skills. It was just go out there and wrestle, take them down, slams [mostly]. I got my nickname “The Highlight” before I ever knew how to strike and it was from throwing, tossing people.”
Gaethje (26-5) knocked out his opponent with a slam in his MMA debut in 2011. “The Highlight” is now primarily known for his standup and can hold his own with the most elite strikers in the UFC. Gaethje will face Paddy Pimblett (23-3) for the interim lightweight title in the main event at UFC 324 on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas.
🇺🇸🤼♂️Justin Gaethje got his nickname “The Highlight” before he ever knew how to strike, getting it from slamming his opponents
“I had 5 amauter fights. I got hit hard in my fifth fight, almost got knocked out. I was like: “If I wanna do this I need to find a coach.”
I had no… pic.twitter.com/NrfVGnZ2Ub
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) January 16, 2026
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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