Justin Gaethje claims only Conor McGregor and Derrick Lewis can equal him as UFC KO specialists

Justin Gaethje, the BMF champion of the UFC, will be looking to defend his symbolic title against former featherweight champion Max Holloway in the co-main event of UFC 300. Gaethje won the symbolic title with a second-round head kick KO victory over former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.

Known for his ferocious knockout power, Gaethje is a fan favorite, much like his contemporary knockout artists in the UFC, such as Conor McGregor and Derrick ‘The Black Beast’ Lewis. Recently, Gaethje had something to say about his knockout prowess as well as that of his contemporaries.

Justin Gaethje praises Conor McGregor and Derrick Lewis

Justin Gaethje praised himself as well as his contemporaries like Conor McGregor and Derrick Lewis with a couple of tweets on his X account. UFC Espanol recently uploaded a video that showed Gaethje’s best knockout finishes inside the octagon. “Only @Thebeast_ufc can match me in KO’s,” Gaethje tweeted after the UFC Espanol post.

However, Gaethje corrected it immediately after his initial tweet. “Correction @Thebeast_ufc & @TheNotoriousMMA Gotta give credit when it’s due,” tweeted Gaethje, who added Conor McGregor to the discussion as well. The trio of Gaethje, Lewis, and McGregor have entertained fans with their scintillating finishes inside the UFC octagon so many times.

Gaethje has fought 12 times in the UFC, boasting an 8-4 record, and the astonishing part is that he has earned 12 post-fight bonuses with the promotion. The only exception is his fight with Michael Chandler, which went the full distance and won the 2021 Fight of the Year award.

Like Poirier, Gaethje is also a former interim champion and two-time undisputed title challenger. A victory over Holloway at UFC 300 could get him a title shot next against the undisputed champion, Dagestan’s Islam Makhachev.

Justin Gaethje rejects bout vs Derrick Lewis

After Justin Gaethje made the tweet that only Derrick Lewis can be compared to him, one fan on X hilariously asked Gaethje to find out who is the king of the knockouts. “lol no thanks,” Gaethje replied as he doesn’t want no smoke with the heavyweight knockout machine.

Derrick Lewis is the record holder for the most knockouts in UFC history with 13. Lewis also holds the record for the most finishes in the UFC’s heavyweight division. Even UFC double champion Daniel Cormier has remarked that Lewis has phenomenal power even though Cormier defeated Lewis in their fight.

Lewis last fought at UFC Sao Paulo on short notice as he replaced an injured Curtis Blaydes against Jailton Almeida. Almeida won the fight via unanimous decision but was criticized for the inability to finish Lewis. Moreover, Lewis has only won once in his past 5 appearances inside the octagon.

Who do you think is the best knockout artist in the UFC? Leave your thoughts below!