“I was a pitcher, I was a quarterback” – Justin Gaethje on his college days

Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje vs Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov is just around the corner and the hype has been unreal. The lightweight championship unification bout is set to headline UFC 254 that will take place on October 24, at the Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. All eyes will be on Gaethje, as a win would make him the first man to ever stop Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Speaking ahead of his fight, Gaethje was in good spirits talking to Kevin Iole. Gaethje went on to say how he featured in almost all the sports teams during his college days, all while being an extremely accomplished wrestler.

“I was never in a street fight” – Justin Gaethje

Speaking to Kevin Iole, Justin was quoted as saying, “I was never in a street fight. A couple of brawls in college, big big brawls where there were 15 people fighting. But outside that, it was pure wrestling. In my first five fights, I fought without ever…. I’d never been punched, I had never thrown a punch. Never thrown a kick.“

Justin went on to explain why his striking was so good despite being known for his wrestling skills as well. Speaking of which Justin said, “I was on the swim team, I was a pitcher, I was a quarterback, I was a punter, I was a kicker. Throwing a baseball is the same exact mechanics as throwing a punch. So yeah, it’s translated really well.”

It will be interesting to see how the fight with Khabib pans out. Justin had earlier told that, he would run into Khabib right from the very first round and use his own ground skills to tackle the “Master Grappler” himself. What do you think Justin will predominantly be using, his phenomenal striking or his advanced wrestling?

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