Nick Newell has reflected on his 2014 WSOF title fight against Justin Gaethje, which Gaethje won by TKO. Newell said the only way to stop Gaethje is to knock him completely unconscious, noting that fatigue and damage do not diminish his output or pressure. He named Gaethje and Dricus Du Plessis as the only two fighters he has observed who maintain full intensity even when visibly exhausted.
Nick Newell has opened up about his 2014 World Series of Fighting lightweight title bout against Justin Gaethje, a fight Gaethje won by TKO, offering a candid assessment of what makes the current lightweight champion so uniquely difficult to stop.
Newell, now 40, carries a professional record of 14-2 and competes out of the Fighting Arts Academy. The southpaw stands five-foot-ten and lands 3.53 significant strikes per minute at a 46 percent accuracy rate. His two career losses include the WSOF title-fight defeat to Gaethje, a performance that clearly left a lasting impression.
Gaethje, now the reigning lightweight champion at 37 years old, has built one of the sport's most aggressive and durable profiles over a career that reads 28-5. The Arizona native stands five-foot-eleven with a 70-inch reach and lands a remarkable 6.48 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy, numbers that reflect the relentless output Newell described firsthand.
Newell's central observation was pointed: the only way to stop Gaethje is to render him completely unconscious. Fatigue and accumulated damage, he said, simply do not reduce Gaethje's pressure or volume. He went further, placing Gaethje alongside South Africa's Dricus Du Plessis as the only two fighters he has witnessed who sustain full intensity even when visibly worn down.
Du Plessis, currently ranked second at middleweight and seventh in the pound-for-pound standings, carries a 23-3 record at 32 years old. He lands 5.18 significant strikes per minute and adds 2.22 takedowns per 15 minutes, a well-rounded output that supports Newell's grouping of the two fighters in the same rare category of relentless competitors.
Why it matters
- Newell's firsthand account adds rare context to Gaethje's durability, drawing on a title-fight experience most fighters do not have
- The comparison to Du Plessis links two active fighters across separate divisions who share a reputation for sustained aggression
- It underscores why Gaethje remains a uniquely difficult puzzle at 37, even as the lightweight division continues to evolve around him
