Athletes
Technique A Must, Carnage A Given For Justin Gaethje
Lightweight Standout Discusses Approach To Rematch With Dustin Poirier At UFC 291
There is a misconception about the way that Justin Gaethje fights.
Because his fights usually look like human car crashes, with his opponents often lumped up and leaking crimson by the time they gingerly limp out of the Octagon, there is this idea that the Arizona-raised, Colorado-based lightweight is a brawler that eschews technique and simply wades into the fray, throwing caution to the wind, but that isn’t the case.
At least not anymore.
Order UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2
“Early in my career, I never cared if they hit me or not because I knew I was going to be coming forward; I wasn’t going to be on the back foot or surprised by a shot,” said Gaethje, who faces off with Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 291 the weekend at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. “I’ve really made it a point to not get hit. I don’t take clean shots. My feet allow me to be in better position, and that’s just how my coach trains me.
“I don’t want to get hit this fight,” he added. “In the past, I don’t think I would have said that.”
If he were tasked with pinpointing a moment where that approach shifted — where he went from accepting whatever return fire came his way while always marching forward to diligently working to avoid taking heaps of direct punishment — it would likely be his first meeting with Poirier five years ago.
Coming off the first loss of his professional career, Gaethje met “The Diamond” head-on, chopping away at his legs with hellacious low kicks that had Poirier limping almost immediately. But success with those kicks led him to get too focused on banging them home, had him too dialed into his own offense, and ultimately gave Poirier the opportunities he needed to find big shots of his own and hand Gaethje a second consecutive loss.
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“I did a lot of damage to his leg, but that’s what got me caught in that fight,” he said, reflecting on their initial encounter. “I was too zealous with my kicks, so I’ve got to be technical, tactical.”
Those are two things Gaethje tries to keep present in his mind at all times as he ventures into the Octagon — be technical, be tactical — because when he’s able to stick to those ideas, good things happen.
“The times that I fought technically - Chandler, Ferguson, this last fight — it’s a lot slower, but I find my shots and it causes so much damage, so I need to rely on that and trust in the process.”
Justin Gaethje Fight Week Interview | UFC 291
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Justin Gaethje Fight Week Interview | UFC 291
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His last fight came in March against Rafael Fiziev, the two men serving as the co-main event of the UFC 286 pay-per-view in London.
Gaethje dropped the opening round on all three scorecards, the speed and variety offered by the streaking Fiziev giving him problems over the first five minutes. But he stuck to the game plan, stayed technical, and started chipping away in the second, working his way back to level heading into the third, where the former interim champion and two-time title challenger stomped on the gas and ran away with the contest.
How To Watch UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2
“Fighting a guy that had never been in those huge fights — co-main event of a pay-per-view card over in London — I knew that he was going to be a little over-zealous, and I have to make him tired,” said Gaethje, who, like Poirier, has gone 6-2 since their first encounter, both of them falling to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira in championship bouts.
“That was the goal and I succeeded at that. If it would have been five rounds, I certainly would have gotten the finish, so I was very happy with my performance there.
“Sometimes I revert back to my crazy ways, which is not the way to go,” he added with a smirk. “I’m a very tactical fighter, so I need to make him miss, because I always cause damage, so I just need to look for my opportunities to put my hands on him.”
A little more than five years after their initial encounter, Gaethje will finally get to share the Octagon with Poirier for a second time in a fight that not only screams “Fight of the Year contender,” but carries some personal and divisional significance, as well.
UFC 291 COUNTDOWN: Full Episode | Poirier vs Gaethje | Błachowicz vs Pereira
As much as they two men have the utmost respect for one another, both are ferocious competitors looking to make one more push towards taking the undisputed UFC lightweight title, the one thing that has thus far eluded them in their stellar careers.
For Gaethje, the added incentive of avenging his prior defeat ratchets things up another notch or two.
“I’ve been around him a couple times, he’s a good dude and I’ve got nothing but respect for him,” began Gaethje. “But when you get to this level, you’ve got to fight the best in the world and he’s definitely that. We’re both vying for a shot at the title.
“Being a competitor, you always want to get these fights back,” he continued, addressing the rematch and the drive to draw level with Poirier, who enters off a third-round submission win over Michael Chandler last November. “The trajectory of our careers — he got both McGregor fights, those were huge opportunities that I missed out on and probably would have got if I got that win. You can’t sulk in situations like that, especially when it’s out of your control.
“I lost that fight, we’ve both been fighting our a** off since then, and I’ve been fighting to get this fight back, so I’m glad it’s here.”
In preparation for Saturday’s rematch with Poirier, Gaethje has been doing everything in his power to ensure that he’s ready to go 25 miserable minutes in the Octagon if necessary, eschewing his usual Sundays on the golf course for recovery days, which are greatly needed after a grueling camp heavy on running in the thin air at Red Rocks Park.
“Fighting is crazy: it’s a little bit of luck, a little bit of chance, and a whole lot of preparation, so I’ve been preparing my a** off, getting these legs ready to be perfect for five rounds,” said Gaethje, who has as many post-fight bonuses (11) as he does UFC appearances. “I think confidence is one of the biggest factors in there, so I draw some confidence from the fact that I have been training at altitude.
“I’ve been here for 13, 14 years and this is my territory. He’s coming from sea level — and I’m sure he’s been doing what he needs to do to get ready for that altitude, because it’s no secret we’re fighting at altitude — but it’s just gonna help the confidence, help me believe in myself when I’m in there.”
But the biggest thing for Gaethje is going to be remaining locked in on those two words that have been central to his most recent successes — he’s got to be tactical and technical.
UFC Breakdown | UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2
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UFC Breakdown | UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2
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“The monologue is the same as before in terms of staying consistent and vigilant in my approach,” he said when asked about how he keeps himself from veering back into his more reckless approach in the heat of battle. “I’ve always been a crazy competitor — wrestling was full bore at all times, and this game is just a little different, and it took me a while to understand that.
“I think I make him miss — make him miss a lot — and get him out position with my feet, and then carnage,” Gaethje added, using a word, carnage, he used to describe his style the first time we spoke many years ago. “I’ve got to touch him up. I’ve got to create the car crashes and be the stronger force when I get in there.
“He’s a dog, there is no doubt about it. I’m excited for the challenge, I’m excited to get this loss back, and I’m excited to put on a show.”
Carnage is always present whenever Gaethje steps into the Octagon; it’s just a matter of whether both parties in the cage walk away feeling the effects of the melee that transpired or if only his opponent is left battered and bleeding.
Tactical, technical, victorious; that’s the plan.
Now all that’s left to do is execute.
UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2 took place live from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on July 29, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
