This weekend, Justin Gaethje is set to challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight throne. It was a long road to get here. When Gaethje made his UFC debut in early 2017, his all-action style had already made him the favored cult icon of some of the saddest people on earth: hardcore MMA fans. Casual fans, on the other hand, weren’t altogether sold on the Highlight’s prospects. Early bettors had made Gaethje a favorite ahead of his debut bout with Michael Johnson, but by fight night he was officially the underdog.
Among those who doubted him, defense was maybe the most oft-cited reason that Gaethje’s style would never work on the biggest stage in MMA.