In one of the most anticipated fights of 2017, the pair of UFC lightweight contenders went to war Saturday night on the UFC 218 main card in Detroit. And Alvarez, a former UFC lightweight champion and underdog to Gaethje, finished “The Highlight” with a devastating knee in the third round.
“The Underground King” out-boxed — and ultimately out-toughed — Gaethje, a former longtime WSOF titleholder, throughout the bout. Alvarez did very well on the feet, landing at a consistent rate. Gaethje failed to land the same amount of strikes, as Alvarez used better movement than usual, avoiding much of Gaethje’s offense, and Gaethje seemed to tire faster than Alvarez.