We can work out the details later. For now, just know that Justin Gaethje is the greatest lightweight MMA fighter on this planet, and he is hereby inviting you to watch him paste Melvin Guillard this Saturday at World Series of Fighting 15.
“He’s fast and he hits hard, but he doesn’t like going deep into fights. He’s not willing to get injured in there,” Gaethje said of Guillard, a former training partner. “I’m going to knock him out. If he gives me his back, I’m not even going to choke him. I’m going to knock him out.”
Gaethje is aware that you have a lot on your plate, what with UFC 180 and Bellator 131 and it being the weekend and you being a normal person and all. He knows that Guillard, with 21 career knockouts and a redemption story to unfurl, may possibly have something to say about his claims. So might other people. But the 25-year-old reigning WSOF lightweight champion, the only person to ever wear the belt, is facing the most famous opponent of his young career, and if you listen to him, the manner of the action is not in doubt. Neither is he.
“As long as he shows up, it’s going to be a good fight for me, for World Series of Fighting and for MMA and for the fans,” Gaethje said. “We like to hurt people…Do I think people are sleeping on me? Absolutely.”
It probably sounds like some fast talk at first, easy to let run right out of your ears, especially in this rapid-fire, post-Chael society of ours that we all share here. And when you glance at Gaethje (pronounced “GAGE-ee,” for your information) on paper, he’s impressive, but not unique when compared with other prospects. The 25-year-old is 12-0, with 10 knockouts on the record sheet. He’s five for five since joining up with WSOF nearly two years ago.
And like a lot of MMA fighters, he first got some shine as a college wrestler. When he found he had power in his fists, he found he had a career as a pro fighter. But he’s more than just a heavy-handed wrestler. He has serious stopping power. And at such a young age, he’s still improving, starting to throw more combinations and body shots to complement his admittedly formidable head-hunting.
“My timing is going to be what people realize most in this fight,” Gaethje said. “And with Melvin, people will realize I don’t move back from a punch. I can take shots and give shots.”
Has he faced the highest caliber of opponent? No. But is he justified in his jawing? He just might be. And he knows the business end of the game, too, based on his talk. He knows what people want out there.
“I know plenty of wrestlers who are 15-0 and going nowhere,” Gaethje said. “This is a making-money business, and the only way to make money is knocking people out. Lying on someone? That’s pathetic to me. You gotta drop a bomb.”
Speaking of business, if he really wants to fight the best and make the biggest money, questions about the UFC are unavoidable. But for now, he’s more worried about the fights he has left on his contract.
“I don’t care about [the UFC],” he said. “I’m 25 years old. I don’t even know if I have a champion’s clause. I have three fights left on my contract…I absolutely believe I’m the best in the world. They can call my bluff when I get to fight the top 10. Someone’s going to have to take that fight. I feed off that energy.”
Scott Harris writes about MMA and other things for Bleacher Report and other places. Follow Scott on Twitter if desired.
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