Let’s be honest. Saturday night’s World Series of Fighting 29 leaves much to be desired outside of one match.
Sure, live MMA on cable television is worth tuning in to see, but if you are expecting fight of the year quality matches, you may be disappointed.
There is one exception to that, though, and it is the main event.
Justin Gaethje defends his lightweight title against Brian Foster from the Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley, Colorado on NBC Sports Network.
And folks, if you have yet to see the appropriately named “Highlight” in action, you are in for a treat.
Gaethje, just 27 years old, is the brightest star in the WSOF. Heck, he just might be the brightest star competing outside of Zuffa and the UFC.
Following a 7-0 run as an amateur, Gaethje turned pro in 2011 and has yet to be stopped. He opened his career with a first round knockout via slam and has continued to bring down the house since.
His first three bouts ended early, as did 11 of his first 11. Of those, 10 were either TKO or KOs, including stoppage wins over Gesias Cavalcante, Brian Cobb, Dan Lauzon, Richard Patishnock and Nick Newell to begin his WSOF career.
Gaethje’s 2014 finish of Newell was a highlight for his career, as it came on the biggest stage for the fighter.
In 2014, WSOF officials signed veteran Melvin Guillard with the hopes of presenting Gaethje with a stiff challenge. “The Young Assassin” pushed him to the scorecards, but the bout was a non-title, three-round affair because Guillard missed weight.
Last year, Gaethje picked up a pair of victories over Luis Palomino, showing the heart of a champion in the opener. He took the best that Palomino had to offer before earning the third round stoppage. In the rematch, he finished Palomino a round earlier.
Now, Gaethje must fend off Foster, who won a one-night tournament over Palomino and Joao Zeferino to secure his shot. He’s 25-8 in his career and went 3-2 with the UFC from 2009-2010, including a submission win over top contender Matt Brown.
So if you have nothing better to do Saturday night, tune in and check out Gaethje. Also, here’s a complete fight replay of his bout with Palomino that shows off everything “The Highlight” has to offer: