"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."
"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."
Justin Gaethje began as a college wrestler who earned the nickname "The Highlight" from slamming and tossing opponents. He competed in five amateur fights without having thrown or taken a punch until his fifth bout, where he was hit hard and nearly knocked out. After that fight he sought coaching from Trevor Wittman to learn striking. Gaethje knocked out his first MMA opponent with a slam in 2011. He later developed high-level standup and became known for brutal, entertaining slugfests on the UFC roster. Gaethje holds a 26-5 record and will face Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 in Las Vegas on Jan. 24.
Read at Sherdog
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