Nick Newell, who lost to Justin Gaethje by TKO in a 2014 WSOF title fight, has reflected on what makes Gaethje uniquely dangerous, saying the only way to stop him is a complete knockout. Newell noted that Gaethje's output, pressure, and power do not diminish even when he is visibly exhausted, placing him alongside Dricus Du Plessis as the only two fighters he has observed with that quality.
Nick Newell has offered a firsthand account of what makes Justin Gaethje so difficult to stop, drawing on his own experience of facing the lightweight champion and comparing him to middleweight contender Dricus Du Plessis as the only two fighters he has seen who simply do not fade.
Newell, who holds a 14-2-0 record and fought Gaethje in a 2014 WSOF title bout that ended in a TKO loss, described Gaethje as a uniquely dangerous opponent whose output and power remain constant regardless of how visibly tired he appears. In Newell's view, only a complete knockout can stop him — pressure, pace, and punishment never seem to slow him down.
Gaethje, now 37 years old and the reigning lightweight champion, backs that assessment with his numbers. The American southpaw out of Genesis Training Center carries a 28-5-0 record and lands 6.48 significant strikes per minute at a 58 percent accuracy rate — both figures that reflect sustained, high-volume output over the course of a fight rather than early bursts that peter out.
The second fighter Newell placed in that same category is Du Plessis, the South African switch-hitter ranked second in the middleweight division and seventh pound-for-pound. At 32, Du Plessis holds a 23-3-0 record and lands 5.18 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy, complemented by 2.22 takedowns per 15 minutes. His ability to grind opponents down while maintaining offensive threat across all three rounds has made him one of the division's most physically imposing forces.
Why it matters
- Newell's firsthand account of Gaethje's championship-level pressure carries weight as a direct opponent's observation
- Grouping Du Plessis alongside Gaethje underlines why the South African is considered a uniquely difficult stylistic puzzle for middleweights
- Both fighters' high strike-output profiles suggest their conditioning and power retention are viewed by peers as a defining competitive edge
