Justin Gaethje: record, fights and statistics
Justin Gaethje (“The Highlight”) is a lightweight fighter from USA with a published career record of 28-5-0. StatsNext stores 15 UFC bouts for Justin Gaethje (10-5). In the 3 fights stored since Mar 8, 2025, Justin Gaethje is 3-0.
Profile
| Height | 5'11" |
|---|---|
| Reach | 70" |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Weight class | Lightweight |
| Born | 1988 |
| Current UFC ranking | Lightweight champion, Pound-for-Pound #3 (as of Oct 16, 2026) |
What are Justin Gaethje's fighting stats?
Across 15 stored UFC bouts with statistics (193 minutes) through June 15, 2026, Justin Gaethje lands 6.06 significant strikes per minute and absorbs 6.70, with 57.4% striking accuracy and 50.4% striking defense. Grappling: 0.31 takedowns per 15 minutes at 26.7% accuracy, 74.1% takedown defense, 0.00 submission attempts per 15 minutes. 10-5 in 15 stored UFC bouts, 6 of 10 wins inside the distance.
Justin Gaethje: striking, grappling and finishes
| Statistic | UFC bouts |
|---|---|
| Significant strikes landed per minute | 6.06 |
| Significant strikes absorbed per minute | 6.70 |
| Significant striking accuracy | 57.4% |
| Significant striking defense | 50.4% |
| Knockdowns per 15 minutes | 0.70 |
| Takedowns per 15 minutes | 0.31 |
| Takedown accuracy | 26.7% |
| Takedown defense | 74.1% |
| Submission attempts per 15 minutes | 0.00 |
| Control minutes per 15 minutes | 1.10 |
| Share of fight time in control | 7.4% |
| Bouts with statistics (minutes) | 15 (192.6) |
Significant strikes landed: 66.8% head, 11.4% body, 21.9% legs; 84.7% at distance, 11.6% in the clinch, 3.8% on the ground.
| Method | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| KO/TKO | 6 | 3 |
| Submission | 0 | 2 |
| Decision | 4 | 0 |
10-5 in the 15 stored UFC bouts since December 2, 2017, averaging 12.8 minutes. The published career record above can include bouts StatsNext does not store. Rates are per minute fought over the stored bouts. Absorbed strikes and defense count only bouts where the opponent’s statistics are published. Control time is published for bouts from 2019. UFC striking leaders · UFC grappling leaders
2026 season: Justin Gaethje among fighters
| Figure | Justin Gaethje | Place |
|---|---|---|
| Wins by KO, TKO or submission | 50.0 | 198th of 360 |
| Significant strikes landed per minute | 5.22 | 59th of 243 |
| Significant strikes absorbed per minute | 5.62 | 201st of 243 |
| Significant strike accuracy | 52.7 | 88th of 243 |
| Significant strike defense | 46.5 | 142nd of 177 |
| Knockdowns per 15 minutes | 0.67 | 77th of 243 |
| Takedowns landed per 15 minutes | 1.00 | 107th of 243 |
| Submission attempts per 15 minutes | 0.00 | 82nd of 243 |
| Share of fight time in control | 16.6 | 103rd of 243 |
The same figures and places as the StatsNext Stats Explorer for the 2026 season, among the fighters with enough fights that season. 1st is the best (the lowest for figures where lower is better).
Wins and losses by method since Mar 8, 2025
- 3 wins: 1 by ko/tko, 2 by decision
Striking and grappling totals since Mar 8, 2025
| Measure | Total |
|---|---|
| Significant strikes landed | 307 of 580 (52.9%) |
| Significant strikes absorbed | 321 of 592 attempted by opponents |
| Knockdowns | 3 |
| Takedowns landed | 3 of 11 |
| Opponent takedowns | 3 of 10 (70.0% defended) |
| Submission attempts | 0 |
| Control time | 8:59 |
Totals over 3 of 3 stored fights with statistics for both fighters.
Fight history
| Date | Opponent (UFC record entering) | Result | Method | Round, time | Minutes | Weight class | Sig. strikes (absorbed) | Takedowns | Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 2026 | Ilia Topuria (9-0) | Win | KO/TKO | R4 5:00 | 20 | Lightweight (title) | 91 of 192 (97) | 0 of 5 | 1:32 |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Paddy Pimblett (7-0) | Win | Decision | R5 5:00 | 25 | Lightweight (title) | 144 of 254 (156) | 3 of 3 | 5:55 |
| Mar 8, 2025 | Rafael Fiziev (6-3) | Win | Decision | R3 5:00 | 15 | Lightweight | 72 of 134 (68) | 0 of 3 | 1:32 |
| Apr 13, 2024 | Max Holloway (21-7) | Loss | KO/TKO | R5 4:59 | 25 | Lightweight | 103 of 199 (181) | 0 of 0 | 0:00 |
| Jul 29, 2023 | Dustin Poirier (20-6) | Win | KO/TKO | R2 1:00 | 6 | Lightweight | 41 of 66 (27) | 0 of 0 | 0:01 |
| Mar 18, 2023 | Rafael Fiziev (6-1) | Win | Decision | R3 5:00 | 15 | Lightweight | 103 of 171 (97) | 1 of 3 | 0:05 |
| May 7, 2022 | Charles Oliveira (18-8) | Loss | Submission | R1 3:22 | 3.4 | Lightweight (title) | 21 of 33 (30) | 0 of 0 | 0:13 |
| Nov 6, 2021 | Michael Chandler (1-1) | Win | Decision | R3 5:00 | 15 | Lightweight | 116 of 183 (103) | 0 of 0 | 1:37 |
| Oct 24, 2020 | Khabib Nurmagomedov (12-0) | Loss | Submission | R2 1:34 | 6.6 | Lightweight (title) | 29 of 45 (26) | 0 of 0 | 0:14 |
| May 9, 2020 | Tony Ferguson (12-1) | Win | KO/TKO | R5 3:39 | 23.7 | Lightweight (title) | 143 of 197 (136) | 0 of 0 | 0:00 |
| Sep 14, 2019 | Donald Cerrone (24-9) | Win | KO/TKO | R1 4:18 | 4.3 | Lightweight | 40 of 61 (17) | 0 of 0 | 0:00 |
| Mar 30, 2019 | Edson Barboza (14-5) | Win | KO/TKO | R1 2:30 | 2.5 | Lightweight | 20 of 35 (13) | 0 of 0 | 0:44 |
| Aug 25, 2018 | James Vick (9-1) | Win | KO/TKO | R1 1:27 | 1.5 | Lightweight | 7 of 15 (10) | 0 of 0 | |
| Apr 15, 2018 | Dustin Poirier (13-4) | Loss | KO/TKO | R4 0:33 | 15.6 | Lightweight | 115 of 212 (174) | 0 of 0 | |
| Dec 2, 2017 | Eddie Alvarez (3-2) | Loss | KO/TKO | R3 3:59 | 14 | Lightweight | 122 of 237 (155) | 0 of 1 |
Opponent records entering a bout count the opponent's stored UFC bouts before that date; minutes are completed rounds x 5 plus the finish time (decisions: the scheduled length). Significant strikes: landed of attempted, with the opponent's landed in brackets.
How to read these numbers
- The career record is the provider’s current record for the fighter. StatsNext stores UFC bouts from 1993 and other promotions’ cards from 2025, so stored bouts can be fewer than the career.
- Many regional fights have results but no statistics; figures state the bouts they cover.
This page shows results and statistics only. It contains no sportsbook prices or betting lines. Current markets and StatsNext research are in the app.
Research in StatsNext
- Justin Gaethje in StatsNext: fighter research with striking and grappling over the last 3, last 5 or all bouts, outcomes, matchups and current fight markets
- MMA events and fighters