Justin Gaethje

This made him the first Northern Colorado wrestler to attain Division I All-American status since Larry Wagner in 1970.

Gaethje dropped down to the 149 lb division for his senior year, but had struggles with weight cutting.

Justin Ray Gaethje (born November 14, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist.

He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Justin Ray Gaethje was born on November 14, 1988, in Tucson, Arizona and was raised in Safford, Arizona.

His mother, Carolina (née Espinoza), is of Mexican descent from Sonora, Mexico and his father, John Ray Gaethje, is of German descent.

His mother was a postmaster while his father was a copper miner, as were both of his grandfathers.

His paternal grandfather boxed while serving in the United States Army.

After improving his grades, Gaethje made his amateur debut during the pre-season of his sophomore year (08'-09') on August 2, 2008, where he scored a slam knockout on his opponent.

In his sophomore season, he qualified for the 2009 NCAA Division I 157 lb Championship, where he posted a 0–2 record.

He finished the season with a 14–4 record and was named to the Western Wrestling All-Conference First Team.

As a junior, Gaethje went 5-2 at the 2010 NCAA Division I 157 lb Championship to earn 7th place and All-American status.

A professional competitor since 2011, he is a former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion, and the current UFC BMF Champion.

He is the second fighter in the history of the UFC to be awarded the BMF championship after winning the title at UFC 291.

As of August 1, 2023, he is #2 in the UFC lightweight rankings.

Born in Safford, Arizona, Gaethje began wrestling when he was four years old.

He was a two-time Arizona state champion as a wrestler at Safford High School, and an NCAA Division I All-American during his time at the University of Northern Colorado.

He began his amateur MMA career while in college, turned professional in 2011 and joined the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) in 2013, where he became Lightweight Champion.

He won true-second at the NCAA Western Regional Championships and so qualified for the 2011 NCAA Division I 149 lb Championship, where he posted a 1–2 record to end his senior season with a 17–8 record.

After amassing a 7–0 amateur record, Gaethje made his professional debut on August 20, 2011, against future UFC fighter Kevin Croom.

Gaethje won the fight in the first round via KO due to a slam after Croom attempted a submission.

On the regional circuit in Colorado and Arizona, Gaethje compiled an undefeated 7–0 professional record, with 6 stoppage wins.

He defended his WSOF belt five times before vacating it to join the UFC in 2017.

Gaethje's father Ray retired as a copper miner in September 2019, after 36 years working at the Morenci mine.

Gaethje has two sisters.

He also has a twin brother who worked at the Morenci mine for almost ten years.

When he was 18, Gaethje spent a summer himself at the Morenci mine.

He said to Brett Okamoto of ESPN in 2020, "I worked 7 days a week, 12 hours every day. I did it for 3 months straight and took one sick day, because I had to sleep. I did 96 hours one week."

Gaethje recalled that as he was about to leave the mine to attend university, two of his co-workers told him, "You'll be right back, you ain't gonna make it in college. You'll be right back here."

This motivated Gaethje to make a success of himself.

Gaethje began wrestling at the age of four.

He attended Safford High School, where he was a four-time finalist and two-time state champion (AIA).

He still holds the seventh-most near falls (218) and the ninth-most team points scored (1057.5) in the history of the state as a wrestler.

Gaethje also played football and baseball in high school.

Gaethje graduated from Safford High School with a 191–9 record.

He initially applied to a small college in Arizona as he wanted to stay close to his family, but instead accepted an offer from the NCAA Division I program at the University of Northern Colorado.

As a freshman, Gaethje had an 18–9 record, including a third-place finish at the Oregon Wrestling Classic.

In June 2020, it was announced that Gaethje would be inducted into the University of Northern Colorado Athletics Hall of Fame for his achievements in wrestling.

Gaethje first came into contact with mixed martial arts (MMA) as a freshman at the University of Northern Colorado, when he wrestled Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters such as Georges St-Pierre, Clay Guida and future opponent Donald Cerrone.

Afterward, he talked to his coaches about his intentions on trying out the new sport, to which he was told that he had to get his grades up in order to get an amateur bout.