Gaethje has never faced a non-Top-15 opponent in his entire UFC career

Justin Gaethje has faced exclusively top-ranked opposition throughout his nearly decade-long UFC tenure, with every opponent ranked inside the top 15 at the time of their bout. The lone potential outlier, James Vick, carried a 9-1 UFC record with five finishes before meeting Gaethje. Whether that elite-level conditioning and experience will be enough to overcome Ilia Topuria remains an open question.