Justin Gaethje On His High School Football Career

“Since we were a small school, I got to play all the positions,” said Gaethje. “I was the quarterback, the strong safety, the punter, and the kicker. Again, really small school.”

Justin Gaethje knocked out Dustin Poirier this past July at UFC 291, winning the ceremonial BMF title and putting himself in line for a shot at lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.

UFC CEO Dana White has yet to officially announce Makhachev’s next opponent, but Gaethje is ready for the opportunity. He has possessed a flair for the dramatic since he was a child, and he is now ready to deliver on the grandest stage possible in MMA and win the lightweight championship.

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Gaethje’s heroics in the cage are quite distinguished. His TKO of Tony Ferguson in 2020 was an emphatic statement, as was the epic  performance in his Madison Square Garden victory against Michael Chandler in 2021.

One of Gaethje’s first exceptional athletic conquests happened on the football field. Playing for Safford High School in Safford, Arizona, Gaethje brought out his absolute best during senior year.

Gaethje and his teammates looked forward every season to their game against Thatcher High, and his final time putting the pads on for that rivalry game took place in 2006.

“I loved football,” said Gaethje. “I looked forward to school because of football. I also enjoyed learning, and I knew I needed to embrace that if I wanted to be a college athlete.”

Gaethje attended a small high school, which led to a football team with less depth on the bench.

“Since we were a small school, I got to play all the positions,” said Gaethje. “I was the quarterback, the strong safety, the punter, and the kicker. Again, really small school.”

If distance makes the heart grow fonder, then, at least in this case, familiarity bred contempt. The two opposing schools are practically neighbors, with Safford only three miles away from Thatcher.

“From the lights on our football field, you could see the lights on their football field every Friday night,” said Gaethje. “They were our rivals, and that was definitely a game we wanted to win, even if it felt like they always beat us.”

After losing to Thatcher in his sophomore and junior years, Gaethje promised that he would lead his school to victory as a senior. And, despite some obstacles along the way, that is exactly how it unfolded.

“Late in the game, we’re down by seven,” recalled Gaethje with clarity. “Then we scored a touchdown. We could have kicked the extra point to tie it or go for two and take the lead–and we went for two.”

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The play was designed for a Gaethje run, which would end with him bursting into the end zone. Though he took a circuitous route, Gaethje eventually found the end zone. That gave Safford a one-point lead, 22-21, and it turned out to be the winning touchdown.

“It was a crazy long play,” said Gaethje. “I stretched it out all the way to the right, then ran all the way back to the left sideline. And just barely, I punched it in.”

As most high school football players wrap up their season–and perhaps even career–on Thanksgiving, Gaethje will enjoy a relaxed holiday. Just like he knew his moment on the football was coming, so is his title shot in the UFC.

“I can’t get overconfident,” says Oliveira. “I’m working as hard as I can and believing in myself.”