Justin Gaethje has arrived. Every athlete hopes to get here, but very few actually do. No, it’s not the moment a young pup makes their debut, and it’s certainly not the time they win their first fight. It’s the rare moment when an athlete owns the show, in undeniable and spectacular fashion, with the whole world watching.
While the whole world may not have been watching last Saturday night, most of the MMA world sure was, already knowing this was going to be appointment TV. All of Gaethje’s previous four fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship had been must-watch stuff, and he’s had some showstoppers well before that; check out either of his fights against Luis Palomino, but absolutely watch the first.