Nick Newell, who faced Justin Gaethje in a 2014 WSOF title bout, reflected on what made Gaethje uniquely difficult to stop. Newell said the only way to derail Gaethje is to knock him completely unconscious, noting that no matter how exhausted Gaethje becomes, his output, power, and forward pressure never diminish. Newell said he has encountered only two fighters with that quality — Gaethje and Dricus Du Plessis.
Nick Newell has offered a vivid firsthand account of what makes current lightweight champion Justin Gaethje so uniquely dangerous, drawing on his own experience sharing the cage with him more than a decade ago and connecting it to one of today's top middleweights.
Newell, a 40-year-old southpaw who carries a 14-2 professional record, spoke about his 2014 WSOF title fight against Gaethje and what separated him from every other opponent he has faced. Newell averages 3.53 significant strikes landed per minute and has built his career primarily on submission grappling, giving him a fighter's perspective on how relentless pressure and output can neutralize a tactical game plan. He said the only way to stop Gaethje is to knock him completely unconscious, because exhaustion never erodes Gaethje's power or his willingness to walk forward.
That assessment tracks closely with Gaethje's career numbers. Now 37 years old and the reigning lightweight champion with a 28-5 record, Gaethje lands 6.48 significant strikes per minute at a 58 percent accuracy rate — numbers that reflect not just volume but consistent, damaging output sustained deep into fights.
Newell said the only other fighter he has encountered with that same indestructible quality is Dricus Du Plessis. The South African is ranked second in the middleweight division and seventh pound-for-pound at 32 years old, holding a 23-3 record. Du Plessis fights out of a switch stance, carries a 76-inch reach and stands six-foot-one, and averages 5.18 significant strikes per minute while also mixing in 2.22 takedown attempts per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Newell's comparison places two fighters from different weight classes in the same rare category of pressure-based attrition specialists
- Gaethje's current championship status makes any historical scouting report on him relevant to the division
- Du Plessis sits just outside middleweight title contention at number two, and the comparison could deepen interest in how he matches up with elite strikers
