5 jaw-dropping Justin Gaethje fights outside the UFC

#4. Justin Gaethje vs. Melvin Guillard – WSOF 15

It's incredibly rare for a Justin Gaethje fight to reach the judges' scorecards. During his 17-fight unbeaten run prior to signing with the UFC, Gaethje finished all but two of his opponents, most via knockout. His style of fighting doesn't really facilitate cardio management and he's willing to set himself on fire just to burn his opponent, figuratively speaking, of course.

When fighters go the distance with Gaethje, the bouts tend to be considered 'Fight of the Year' contenders, owing to the non-stop action that 'The Highlight' brings every time. This was the case when he took on Melvin Guillard in the co-headliner of WSOF 15.

Gaethje stood right in front of Guillard throughout the bout and seemingly didn't take a single backward step. While he wasn't having much success with his punches early on, he landed calf kicks at will in the opening 10 minutes. Nevertheless, Guillard landed some significant blows, but they didn't seem to have any effect.

After two close rounds, 'The Highlight' turned up the pace and further damaged his opponent's lead leg. Guillard could barely walk and effectively became a one-legged fighter in the final few minutes. Somehow, he made it to the final bell, despite a late onslaught from Gaethje, who came away with a split decision win in the end.

Watch the full fight below:

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#3. Justin Gaethje vs. Luis Palomino 1 – WSOF 19

Following his barnburner with Melvin Guillard, Justin Gaethje was booked to take on rising contender Luis Palomino in his next bout. Having already defended his WSOF lightweight title once, the American had his sights set on a second defense of his belt when he locked horns with Palomino in the main event of WSOF 19.

Gaethje came out like a house on fire, getting in Palomino's face and throwing bombs at the retreating challenger. The champion dominated the first round, drowning his Peruvian counterpart with a non-stop barrage of punches. The duo were fighting at an incredible pace and looked exhausted going into the second.

Palomino bounced back in the next round, forcing 'The Highlight' to finally take a backward step after he landed some huge strikes. Gaethje was clearly rocked, but managed to recover in time and lived to see a third round.

He adopted a different approach in the final frame as he started targeting Palomino's legs instead of his head. As the challenger fatigued, Gaethje turned up the pressure and melted Palomino with his volume-striking. A powerful calf-kick dropped the challenger and subsequent strikes from Gaethje saw the referee finally intervene.

Given the back-and-forth nature of his bout with Luis Palomino, Justin Gaethje accepted a rematch against the Peruvian contender six months later. Their first encounter, however, remains one of the greatest fights in WSOF history.

Watch the full fight below: