Gaethje: How would he do in the UFC?

[BustaHimes]

I see him destroying Dos Anjos so he could easily be champ.

I really think hes the real deal.

 

[Arkridge]

He's way too reckless to beat anyone in the top 5 let alone Rafael dos Anjos. I think he's got all the talent but needs to smarten up. That chin isn't going to hold up forever. In his current state I see him cracking the top 15 but I don't think he'd win the title.

 

[Arkridge]

Love the guy's leg kicks though. Fuckin' powerful.

 

[DrGlaze]

Bro, he'd get destroyed by every UFC fighter they have! Don't you know everyone who doesn't fight for them is a scrub?? All jokes aside, I think he'd do pretty good. At least top 15-20, he's in a tough division though. He would get a lot farther if he took less shots in his fights though, I feel like that might catch up to him eventually if he's not careful.

 

[DrGlaze]

He's way too reckless to beat anyone in the top 5 let alone Rafael dos Anjos. I think he's got all the talent but needs to smarten up. That chin isn't going to hold up forever. In his current state I see him cracking the top 15 but I don't think he'd win the title.

Beat me to it, damn you!lol

 

[Arkridge]

Beat me to it, damn you!lol

Lol. It's the unfortunate truth about Gaethje. Dude is entertaining as fuck but needs to smarten up for the good of his career. Imagine Gaethje vs. Cerrone though. Fuck.

 

[DrGlaze]

Lol. It's the unfortunate truth about Gaethje. Dude is entertaining as fuck but needs to smarten up for the good of his career. Imagine Gaethje vs. Cerrone though. Fuck.

They would be kicking the shit out of each other, and I would love every second of it.lol

 

[Dick Grayson]

Gaethje has all the tools to be a top 10 guy, and with preferable matchmaking, could easily be considered a top 5 fighter (whether or not it's deserved).

His style of fighting is horrible for longevity, however, and seems to be counterproductive. He should never have had such close fights with Palomino, as evidenced by his methodical and patient evisceration of Brian Foster literally one fight later. If Gaethje fights like he did against Foster, I could see him beating most LW in the world without much issue, and would even give RDA problems should his chin hold up.

His ground game is questionable, as per the Cobb fight. We'll see if he adopts a more measured approach in the future

 

[frandie2b]

He's good, but I don't see him beating RDA, Alvarez, Brooks, Khabib, Tony... I would also pick Michael Chandler to beat him.

 

[Bork Lazer]

He's a top 20-25 155'er but like many have said, I don't see his style translating well to the higher level of guys very well.

I don't see him beating guys at the level of Paul Felder, Ross Pearson, Francisco Trinaldo or Mairbek Taisumov in the UFC or even Marcin Held in Bellator.

 

[qw3rty]

Gaethje has all the tools to be a top 10 guy, and with preferable matchmaking, could easily be considered a top 5 fighter (whether or not it's deserved).

His style of fighting is horrible for longevity, however, and seems to be counterproductive. He should never have had such close fights with Palomino, as evidenced by his methodical and patient evisceration of Brian Foster literally one fight later. If Gaethje fights like he did against Foster, I could see him beating most LW in the world without much issue, and would even give RDA problems should his chin hold up.

His ground game is questionable, as per the Cobb fight. We'll see if he adopts a more measured approach in the future

I think Foster was doing it pretty good before Justin killed his leg
In fact, I really want to see a rematch if Foster can beat some others guys to get a new TS

 

[M Raid K]

He's way too reckless to beat anyone in the top 5 let alone Rafael dos Anjos. I think he's got all the talent but needs to smarten up. That chin isn't going to hold up forever. In his current state I see him cracking the top 15 but I don't think he'd win the title.

He is a good wrestler although he mostly uses it in reverse (a la Liddell). I can see him turning into a grinder like Alvarez.

 

[Gazwald]

Lol. It's the unfortunate truth about Gaethje. Dude is entertaining as fuck but needs to smarten up for the good of his career. Imagine Gaethje vs. Cerrone though. Fuck.

Him vs Cerrone is what I instantly think about when I see his name.

 

[Arkridge]

He is a good wrestler although he mostly uses it in reverse (a la Liddell). I can see him turning into a grinder like Alvarez.

Idk man, I don't think playing it safe is in Gaethje's blood. He's that Diego Sanchez type. His wrestling is actually pretty good though. He should mix it up more with some TDs and ground work.

 

[Big_Chief_Stove]

I see him destroying Dos Anjos so he could easily be champ.

I really think hes the real deal.

Lol, no he wouldn't, what are you basing this on?

Gaethe would get wrecked by any of the top 5 in the UFC. He couldn't even finish one-armed Newell! How will he deal with two-armed, higher skilled opponents?

 

[David Street]

Frankly I picked Gaethe over Will Brooks anytime. Gaethe makes it look effortless.

 

[Bork Lazer]

Frankly I picked Gaethe over Will Brooks anytime. Gaethe makes it look effortless.

 

[InfinityLens]

Now that Brooks and Alvarez are gone Chandler is Bellator's top LW and they need someone for him to fight. Maybe try and get Chandler v Gaethje in Rizin? They could try and poach Gaethje but there are probably top 11 (Chandler is #12) That can be gotten cheaper. Edson Barboza isn't that well known so maybe him?

 

[original doom]

I think if he fights a bit more conservatively and tries to slip a few punches he could be lw champ in the ufc.

He needs to do some training with pro boxers just so he can learn some evasion haha. Gr8 fighter and i want to see him in the ufc.

 

[TheBrownRanger]

He's a top 20-25 155'er but like many have said, I don't see his style translating well to the higher level of guys very well.

I don't see him beating guys at the level of Paul Felder, Ross Pearson, Francisco Trinaldo or Mairbek Taisumov in the UFC or even Marcin Held in Bellator.

This is kind of what I feel. Gaethje is very overrated because of his style. I've said this many times, Gaethje could either be a mid-level guy like Joe Lauzon or top 15 like Anthony Pettis. I disagree on him losing to guys like Felder and Pearson though.

I really don't want to sound like a Zuffa shill here, but as far as Gaethje winning the UFC title, I just don't see it happening. He'd have to be a bit more technical and vastly improve his ground game to be able to compete with guys like Khabib, Ferguson, and Dos Nachos. Once he hits the top 10 in the UFC, he's not going to be facing Palomino or Guillard in that octagon.

With that said, 20-15 is where I'd place him.