Nick Newell, who faced Justin Gaethje in a 2014 WSOF title fight that Gaethje won by TKO, has reflected on what makes Gaethje uniquely difficult to stop. Newell said the only way to stop Gaethje is to knock him out cold, as his output, power, and forward pressure remain completely unchanged even when he is visibly exhausted. Newell said he has only ever seen two fighters who do not change their game under fatigue — Gaethje and Dricus Du Plessis.
Nick Newell has placed Justin Gaethje in rare company, comparing the current lightweight champion's championship-level durability to that of middleweight contender Dricus Du Plessis.
Newell, who faced Gaethje in a 2014 WSOF title fight that ended by TKO, reflected on what made the experience unlike anything else in his career. The 40-year-old southpaw carries a 14-2 record and lands 3.53 significant strikes per minute, but it was his firsthand experience absorbing Gaethje's forward pressure that informed his assessment. Newell's point was not about who hits hardest, but about consistency under fatigue — he said the only way to stop Gaethje is to knock him completely unconscious, because his output, power, and relentless forward march do not diminish even when he is visibly gassed.
Gaethje, now 37 and the reigning lightweight champion, makes that claim easy to believe on paper. He lands 6.48 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy — numbers that reflect both his volume and his precision. The six-foot, 178-cm striker out of Genesis Training Center holds a 28-5 record and has built his reputation on a style defined by pure aggression and an apparent refusal to acknowledge physical wear.
The second name Newell offered as a comparable case is Du Plessis, the 32-year-old South African ranked second in the middleweight division and seventh in the pound-for-pound standings. Standing six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach and a 23-3 record, Du Plessis lands 5.18 significant strikes per minute and adds 2.22 takedown attempts per 15 minutes, bringing a switch-stance versatility that makes him equally dangerous on the feet and on the mat.
Why it matters
- Newell's assessment frames both fighters as uniquely elite in the context of physical resilience and sustained output
- Placing Du Plessis alongside a proven lightweight champion elevates the middleweight contender's reputation ahead of any future title pursuit
- The stylistic parallel — high-volume striking that does not fade — underlines what challengers in both divisions must solve
