Justin Gaethje has been one of the scariest fighters in the UFC since he signed with the promotion back in 2017. The lightweight contender has been chewing up opponents and spitting them back out with a huge hospital bill.

The UFC is known for having some of the best fighters in the world and that means even Justin Gaethje was bound to find someone he was scared of fighting. That man was Edson Barboza from back in 2019.

“I was the most terrified of Edson (Barboza), you know,” Gaethje said at a media day. “Growing up, when I was in college, wrestling, before I thought I’d ever fight in the UFC, I was watching this dude spinning back kicking, taking people to the shadow realm. I remember playing poker with my guys. I think when he fought Beneil Dariush, we were watching and playing, and I told all the guys I’m going to fight that guy one day.”

Edson Barboza is the king of terrifying knockouts. His UFC run has been filled with opponents falling in scary ways and he is known to be dangerous throughout the fight.

His spinning wheel kick Ko of Terry Etim remains one of the best knockouts in UFC history. His knockout over Beniel Dariush was also a very scary one as he landed a vicious knee.

Justin Gaethje had nothing to worry about as he was able to find success early in the fight. The former WSOF champion found the knockout halfway through the first round.