Although Alvarez’s resume may not measure up to the likes of the dominant Khabib Nurmagomedov at this point, Alvarez, in many ways, remains the most experienced and savvy fighter the lightweight division has ever seen. Who could stop such a monster?Įnter Eddie Alvarez, who might have been, circa 2017, as accomplished a lightweight as MMA had ever seen. Justin Gaethje was an offensive juggernaut and, at least in his eyes, an unstoppable force of nature. He could be hurt and hit - more difficult than most would think - but they all tended to end the same. Of his then eighteen wins, only one man had seen the distance. However, his cagecutting was as consistent as you could find - at some point, he was going to corner you or keep the damage up. Enforced by sheer, raw horsepower, engaging Gaethje seemed like a recipe for disaster for most. He built an underrated, deceptively tricky high guard to catch shots and quickly pitch counters. He would bait his man into a movement or reaction, then punish them with a counter or a thudding kick to their shin. Justin Gaethje had built an aggressive game predicated upon relentlessly pushing his opponents and methodically breaking them down. “Where is my equal!” roared the former wrestler with an innocent brashness that only the world’s greatest violencemonger could fashion for himself. In as wild a debut as he could have had, Gaethje had found himself on the verge of unconsciousness on two - some might argue three - occasions, only to keep pressuring Johnson into the fence, punishing his attempts to escape with debilitating leg kicks, and punished the level changes with hellacious uppercuts until the former contender was broken and beaten. Michael Johnson collapsed to the canvas across the cage fence, his face a splattered portrait of blood after nearly ten minutes opposite of the former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje. This is the first of five pieces, celebrating our 200 patron goal, where we cover what we consider the five best bouts in the history of the UFC.
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