Justin Gaethje really shut his critics up when he debuted against Michael Johnson and won in a comfortable and dominant fashion. Previously, he had had trouble making quick work of opponents that were seen as underdogs and this is what raised questions in terms of whether he will be able to make it in the UFC or not. Well, so far so good.
For years now, he has been touted as one of the best fighters in the World Series of Fighting, now known as the PFL, he was and still is a very popular fighter who was known especially for his never give up attitude in the octagon and his hyper violent attacks when you least expect it. It also helped that he was an ex – NCAA Division I All – American fighter.
Gaethje aspires to be the new Eddie Alvarez. Alvarez is no stranger to the path that Gaethje has walked so far and the challenges he has lying ahead of him. In fact, Alvarez also has been through an identical path in the recent past. What fans love about Gaethje is the fact that it does not matter who his opponent is, Gaethje is going to come out swinging and he is really going to take the fight to them, be it an underdog or someone undefeated.
Focusing on Alvarez, he fought for several years in other promotions before being scouted by the UFC. He was known as the underground king of MMA and for most UFC fans, they only knew who he was after his loss at the hands of Conor McGregor.
While Gaethje is climbing up the ladder, and Alvarez is trying to steady himself, it is a fitting fixture which will make for a good fight indeed. For this UFC 218 prediction, we will have to go with Gaethje given his confidence and recent form.
Author : Rory McGregor
