While there were constant discussions rising about no male UFC champion from America, Justin Gaethje rose to the occasion. His fight against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 saw him put out a dominant performance to become the new interim UFC lightweight champion.
Justin Gaethje was born in Tucson, Arizona, but was raised in Safford. Although Gaethje is an American citizen by nationality, his roots are connected to Europe. His mother, Carolina, is of Mexican descent, while his father, John Ray, is of German descent. Despite Gaethje’s family being attached to different cultures, he is proud to be an American.
Gaethje states his love for America
“I’m so happy to be from this country. I come from two hours east. People have seen the movie ‘Tombstone’. 40 miles north of Tombstone is where I grew up in the middle of the desert. And I can’t imagine how happy and proud those people are tonight,” Gaethje said during the UFC 324 post-fight press conference.
He further noted what it means for him to represent America: “But, you know, growing up, you love to represent your mascot at your high school, and then you college mascot. And now I get to represent the United States of America. And it is so big for me and so big for, you know, I’m half Mexican, half German. I think it’s such a melting pot. And there’s so many good people in this country.”
Gaethje has always been vocal and proud with his stance on representing America in the UFC. Notably, ahead of his clash against Khabib Nurmagomedov, he even noted the importance of the fight. “We’re fighting for the opportunity to represent America against Khabib. That’s what I’m fighting for,” Gaethje said.
Now, those were in the past. But to this date, ‘The Highlight’ has maintained a similar attitude. And after winning the interim UFC lightweight championship last Saturday, Gaethje has aligned himself for a fight at one of the historic UFC events.
