Justin Gaethje: Net Worth 2024, Record, Salary, and Endorsements

Who is Justin Gaethje?

Justin Gaethje is a mixed martial artist competing in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he currently sits at the #2 ranking spot. The 35-year-old is a former interim lightweight champion, a two-time lightweight title challenger, and the current BMF title holder. Before signing with the UFC in 2017, Gaethje was the lightweight champion in the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) with a 10-0 record in the promotion and a 17-0 MMA record.

Justin Gaethje's early life

Justin Gaethje was born in the city of Safford, Arizona. He has German-Mexican roots as his mother, Carolina, hailed from Sonora, Mexico. while his father, John Ray Gaethje carried a German origin. His father and grandfather worked in a copper mine in Morenci, Arizona, a small town near the border of New Mexico, while his mother was a postmaster. Gaethje also has a twin brother named Marcus.

He started wrestling at a very young age. While in school, he competed in wrestling tournaments. During his time at Stafford High School, Gaethje became the Arizona State Wrestling champion three times, was named to the all-state team three times, and graduated with a 191-9 record.

Gaethje then majored in criminal justice at the University of Northern Colorado. While in college, he qualified for the NCAA Division 1 championship. In 2010, he earned the D1 All-American status, becoming the first person to do so in the history of his university.

Justin Gaethje's girlfriend

Justin Gaethje is currently dating Sophia Romano. She is a professional model and a social media influencer who has also worked at ABC TV Studios. According to reports, the pair met on a dating app and kicked things off. Despite their romantic interest, neither party has given any hints of marriage as of yet.

Justin Gaethje: Net Worth 2024

Justin 'The Highlight' Gaethje is undoubtedly one of the most coveted names in the UFC. The 34-year-old is known for his heavy striking inside the octagon, which was even acknowledged by the UFC boss, Dana White. Looking at the massive stature of the Arizona-born, it's quite evident that he will be one of the well-paid athletes in the UFC. As far as reports suggest, the noted UFC lightweight currently boasts a net worth of $5M.

As known to most UFC fans, the income of a fighter might vary with each fight. Gaethje wasn't an exception to this case. 'The Highlight' made about $165,000 for his first UFC fight against Eddie Alvarez. while the income

Gaethje earned the biggest fight purse of his entire UFC career from his UFC 291 BMF title fight against Dustin Poirier - a whopping $1,136,000. After his UFC 254 title bout against Khabib 'The Eagle' Nurmagomedov, 'The Higlight' pocketed a massive $1.2M. He also boasts a unique record of having 12 fight-night bonuses from 12 UFC fights.

Justin Gaethje's career timeline

Gaethje started off in the field of combat sports with wrestling. He began wrestling at the tender age of 4 and continued it till his collegiate years, but never opted to turn a professional in the field.

He also won the school-level state championship three times during his time at Safford High School. At the time of his graduation from high school, Gaethje held an insane 191-9 record. He also opted to join the University of Northern Colorado under an NCAA Division I program post his schooling years. In his initial year, 'The Highlight' held an 18-9 record.

He improved it to 14-4 in his second year and was enlisted for Western Wrestling All-Conference First Team. In his final year, he won the second spot in the NCAA Western Regional Championships and ended with a 17-8 record.

Gaethje's transition to MMA saw him fighting for multiple promotions. He had fought for the noted promotions Ring of Fire, Rage in the Cage, and World Series of Fighting. 'The Highlight' also boasts a stupendous undefeated record in his 10 WSOF bouts.

Gaethje signed with the UFC in 2017 and beat Michael Johnson via TKO in his debut fight. Unfortunately, Gaethje's succumbed to two back-to-back losses against elite lightweight fighters. Dustin Poirier and Eddie Alvarez. But, 'The Highlight' made a strong comeback and went on a four-fight win streak before submitting to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Post that loss, he won against Michael Chandler but faced another devastating loss against Charles Oliveira. He tapped out to Oliveira's rear-naked choke in the very first round.

'The Highlight' then faced Rafael Fiziev at UFC 286 and won the fight via majority decision. Gaethje also received a 'Fight of the Night' bonus for this fight and his third UFC paycheck over a million dollars ($1,056,000).

Gaethje is now set to face Max Holloway at UFC 300 for the BMF title. The fight is a rematch for their earlier bout where Poirier came out with a win.

Justin Gaethje's contract

As per the last update, Gaethje signed a contract extension with the UFC ahead of his bout against Michael Chandler at UFC 268. The details of this extension are, however, unavailable. But some reports claim he could be seen at least three more times inside the Octagon before his contract is up.

Justin Gaethje's partnerships and endorsements

Gaethje has also endorsed many brands in the past. These include Bulge Clothing, Saratoga Casinos, Gladiators Unleashed, and recently, Gains in Bulk.

'The Highlight' also heavily endorses ONX Sports, a company started by his coach Trevor Wittmann. Moreover, he has his own brand Violent 1.

After he is done fighting, Gaethje wants to put his Human Services degree to good use. Furthermore, he has shown interest in working with at-risk youth. In December 2019, Gaethje paid the lunch debt for the entire semester of all students of West Early College. According to the college's Facebook post, Gaethje also wrote a? $1,538.00 check for the cause.

Justin Gaethje's career stats and records

Justin Gaethje currently has a 25-4 record in MMA. He was 7-0 in regional circuits, 10-7 in WSOF, and is now 8-4 in the UFC. He has unsuccessfully vied for the lightweight title twice and is a former interim UFC LW champion. He has won the UFC BMF belt and the WSOF lightweight belt.

He has 19 wins and 2 losses via KO/TKO, 2 wins and 2 losses by submission, and 4 wins by decision.

Justin Gaethje's major achievements and awards

• Fight of the Night (Seven times) vs. Michael Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, Dustin Poirier, Edson Barboza, Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler and Rafael Fiziev


• UFC Honors 2021 Fight of the Year vs. Michael Chandler


• UFC.com 2017 Fight of the Year vs. Michael Johnson


• UFC.com 2021 Fight of the Year vs. Michael Chandler


• Performance of the Night (Five times) vs. Michael Johnson, James Vick, Donald Cerrone, Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier


• Highest significant strike accuracy percentage in UFC Lightweight division history (60.3%)


• Second most significant strikes landed per minute in UFC Lightweight division history (7.35)

Justin Gaethje's titles

• Interim UFC Lightweight Championship (One time)


• UFC 'BMF' Championship


• WSOF Lightweight Championship (One time)

Justin Gaethje's social media accounts