Justin Gaethje Looks To Make a Statement At WSOF 15

By Adam Martin

Despite being 12-0 in MMA with 11 of those victories coming by way of stoppage, WSOF lightweight champion Justin Gaethje is not getting the respect he deserves.

The 26-year-old native of Colorado is 5-0 in the World Series of Fighting, with wins over Nick Newell, Richard Patishnock, Dan Lauzon, Brian Cobb, and JZ Cavalcante, all of those wins coming by way of TKO. In fact, he’s won his last seven fights by knockout, and his last eight fights have ended by stoppage. Only the MFC’s Marcus Edwards has been able to go the full three rounds with him – everyone else has crumbled before their 15 or 25 minutes was up.

Despite this, Gaethje is still not getting the respect he deserves, and for some reason he still has so many doubters. I’m not saying he doesn’t have flaws in his game – his striking defence could use some work (see the Patishnock fight), and he has to be more aware of not getting put in bad positions (see the Cobb fight), but really, those are things that he can change, and so far neither has hurt him.

I’ve been high on Gaethje even before he entered the WSOF, as he was a standout prospect in the Ring of Fire and Rage in the Cage organizations. He knocked out former UFC standout Drew Fickett in just 12 seconds in 2012 – the first knockout on his current TKO streak – and that’s when I knew he was someone to watch out for. And evidentially the WSOF did as well, as they signed him to a deal soon afterwards, and in just two years he’s become arguably the best fighter in the promotion.

The thing about Gaethje is that even though nearly all of his wins have come by knockout, he’s actually an accomplished amateur wrestler. He hasn’t really had to use his grappling yet, but once he starts to mix in his wrestling I’m not sure how many lightweights will be able to beat him, because his striking is absolutely devastating, and so far no one except Edwards has been able to take his power and remain conscious.

Critics of Gaethje have said that he hasn’t fought top-level competition, and that until he fights UFC-level fighters we won’t know how good he really is. I personally disagree with that sentiment, as Gaethje has wins over three former UFC fighters, but I can understand why people feel that way. Gaethje needs a marquee win on his resume, and until he gets that star win, the doubters will still be out there.

But this weekend at WSOF 15, Gaethje has a chance to get that marquee win when he faces former UFC star Melvin Guillard for the WSOF lightweight title. Guillard and Gaethje are former training partners, having previously worked together at Grudge Training Center, and this fight between these two strikers with wrestling bases should be nothing less than pure excitement for 25 minutes or less. In fact, of all the fights on deck this triple-header weekend, I think Gaethje vs. Guillard might end up being the most exciting one, and yes, that’s saying something.

Even if Gaethje loses, though, he’s only 26, and still has tons of time to work on his issues and turn things around. Personally I don’t think that’s going to be the case, as I see him stopping Guillard in devastating fashion, but even Gaethje has admitted in pre-fight interviews that Guillard has that explosive one-strike power that can knock anyone out, and that he has to be wary of getting caught.

But if he wins, that should shut the doubters up, as that would improve him to 13-0 in his career, and a win over Guillard should be enough to earn him the respect of his critics. And if it doesn’t, I don’t think Gaethje will care anyway, because those who know him know how good he is, and know that if he wasn’t contractually committed to the WSOF, he’d be in the UFC right now.

I’m looking forward to Gaethje vs. Guillard, and if Gaethje wins this fight in devastating fashion like I expect him to, look for the calls for him to go to the UFC to reach a new level. If and when he gets there, he’ll get to prove just how good he really is, and if he has the ability to hang with the top 10 lightweights in the world.