American mixed martial artist Justin Gaethje is MMA Fighting's MMA Fighter of the Midyear for the exceptional year he has had so far. The 37-year-old earned two stunning victories, against Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria that marked a historic comeback few have seen before.
Justin Gaethje beat fellow mixed martial artist Paddy Pimblett back in January to become the undisputed champion of the interim UFC Lightweight Championship. With this win, he made history by becoming the first fighter to win two interim titles in the history of UFC.
More recently in June, he pulled off a major upset and defeated Ilia Topuria in the UFC Freedom 250 fight held at the White House. He had beaten the favourite by the fourth-round TKO, marking Ilia's first career loss in mixed martial arts.
With these accomplishments under his belt, Justin seemed like the worthy person to be named the MMA Fighter of the Midyear for the MMA Fightings. The two wins put him under the spotlight as fans praised his spirit that made his comeback all the more memorable.
MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew also weighed in on the decision, saying, "Gaethje did deliver a perfect performance, breaking Topuria down in another Fight of the Year contender, and authoring one of the greatest upsets in UFC history, all on the grandest stage possible."
Justin Gaethje topped the MMA Fighter of the Midyear rankings which featured some other interesting names as well. Carlos Ulberg came second despite his knee injury that did not stop him from earning his first UFC championship after beating Jiri Prochazka.
Sean Strickland and Josh Hokit share the third place. Sean became the middleweight champion for a second time by getting the better of Khamzat Chimaev while Josh registered three wins in the first half of the year.
For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.