What belt is Justin Gaethje in BJJ? All about ‘The Highlight’s’ rank

Despite not being known for his grappling skills, Justin Gaethje has seldom been hindered by this in his MMA career.

In all four of Gaethje’s UFC losses, he has been defeated by submission by two of the most highly regarded grapplers in MMA history. These defeats occurred in his undisputed championship fights against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira.

‘The Highlight’ gained his moniker due to his impressive skills as a striker with knockout abilities. However, prior to embarking on his MMA journey, he spent four years as a wrestler at the University of Northern Colorado, where he achieved the honor of being an All-American for two consecutive seasons. Although Gaethje primarily relies on his hands in MMA, he continues to refine his wrestling abilities.

Despite having a background in wrestling, Gaethje is one of the few high-level fighters who do not prioritize working on his grappling skills. He holds a Brazilian jiu-jitsu white belt and has never received formal training in the art. While he can be seen practicing grappling on his social media, he primarily focuses on defensive wrestling in order to keep his fights standing.

Ever since his collegiate wrestling days ended, Gaethje has been training with the Elevation Fight Team in Colorado. This camp is renowned for its use of various gyms owned by the coaches. Gaethje works closely with Trevor Wittman, a renowned striking coach, as well as his teammates Kamaru Usman, Mohammed Usman, Archie Colgan, and Bassil Hafez, who all have a strong background in wrestling.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor 2 set to headline UFC 300

As the recently crowned UFC BMF champion, Justin Gaethje is set to defend his novelty belt against former featherweight champion Max Holloway at UFC 300.

Following his victory over Dustin Poirier for the belt at UFC 291, it was widely believed that ‘The Highlight’ would be the next fighter to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight championship. However, Gaethje’s upcoming match against Holloway on April 13 has caused Makhachev to be left without a suitable opponent, potentially resulting in a summer face-off with Poirier.

The pay-per-view card will feature Gaethje and Holloway in a co-main event that will last for five rounds. The main event will be headlined by Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill. However, there is more excitement to come on the card as former champion Charles Oliveira is set to take on top contender Arman Tsarukyan in a high-profile lightweight bout. The BMF title fight will not be the only highly anticipated match on the card.

Despite Makhachev’s preference for Poirier as his next opponent in June, the champion has expressed openness to facing the winner of the lightweight bout at UFC 300 if one of the four fighters competing on April 13 puts on an impressive performance and is willing to fight again soon. This shows the champion’s willingness to take on any challenging opponent in a timely manner.