"Respect this guy" - Fans blown away by impressive stat on Justin Gaethje's UFC resume

Former interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has only fought top 10 contenders in his UFC career, and his resume on the sport's biggest stage has drawn widespread praise from fans.

Among the big names Gaethje fought are former pound-for-pound king Khabib Nurmagomedov, former undisputed champions Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, and Eddie Alvarez, former interim champions Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson, and former title challenger Michael Chandler.

ESPN MMA recently shared the stat on Instagram, resulting in fight fans flocking to the comments section to show appreciation.

A fan commented:

"Respect this guy, he has faced the best of the best. (the pound for pound behind the keyboard is missing)"

A second fan wrote:

"Seeing this makes the Justin hate even more insane bro fights nothing but legends"

Another fan remarked:

"One of the best to ever do it at 155"

Not all the comments were positive, however, as one fan commented:

"Yet he be losing"

Some even found the inclusion of James Vick, who ended his UFC career on a winless streak unworthy.

A fan commented:

"Sneaking James Vick in there"

Another wrote:

"How the hell did James Vick make it in the top 10"

Check out more comments below:

Screenshot of comments [Image Source - @espnmma on Instagram]

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Rafael Fiziev intends to change mentality in Justin Gaethje rematch

After Dan Hooker pulled out of his co-main event fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 313, Rafael Fiziev stepped up on short notice.

The Azerbaijani has fought Gaethje before at UFC 286, losing via majority decision. In a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, the 31-year-old vowed to not repeat the mistakes from his first fight against 'The Highlight'.

When Helwani asked what the mistake was, Fiziev replied:

"Mistakes is I hear the arena. And every time when I do something or Justin does something, I hear arena and (I'm like), ‘Oh, f**k this game plan. I want to go forward, and I want people screaming more.'"

Fiziev mentioned he had heard his corner giving him the right instructions but the allure of fans' excitement forced him to disregard it.

For his upcoming rematch against Gaethje, 'Ataman' plans to fight smart and conserve energy in the final round.

Check out Rafael Fiziev's comments about his first fight against Justin Gaethje below (6:00):