UFC reportedly signs Justin Gaethje

Following news that the WSOF has closed its doors and is now under new ownership, operating under the name of Professional FIghter’a League, it is now being reported that former WSOF lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has signed with the UFC.

Gaethje, who holds a professional record of 17-0, won the WSOF lightweight championship in 2014, and defended the belt 5 times over the course of the past three years, defeating notable opponents such as former UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard, and Luis Palomino.

An initial report emerged that former WSOF head Ray Sefo had confirmed Gaethje’s signing with the UFC, however conflicting reports have emerged since then regarding whether or not the former WSOF champ has signed with the UFC.

As per Ray Sefo, the UFC has apparently signed violence machine Justin Gaethje. pic.twitter.com/iemDVdy7B1

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) April 27, 2017

Justin Gaethje has not signed w/ UFC … yet. But, like Moraes and Branch, I'd be surprised if he doesn't soon. UFC likes him, he likes UFC.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 27, 2017

Just because Ariel said he's a free agent doesn't mean he's a free agent, Justin was still under contract when Ariel put that out. https://t.co/knc1JQ5smh

— Ray Sefo (@SugarRaySefo) April 27, 2017

Ray Sefo then took to social media with another Tweet, where he confirmed that Gaethje had indeed signed with the UFC, saying:

‘Wishing Justin Gaethje all the best fighting for the UFC & excited to crown a new $1 million lightweight champion’.

Catch the Tweet below:

Wishing @Justin_Gaethje all the best fighting for @UFC & excited to crown a new $1 million Lightweight champion

— Ray Sefo (@SugarRaySefo) April 27, 2017

Of course, this signing has not been confirmed by the UFC at the present time, however if the news indeed turns out to be true, as it appears to be, expect an announcement from the promotion shortly, which very well could include news regarding Gaethje’s first fight in the UFC, where he will enter into an extremely stacked division.

For reference, we have included the official UFC lightweight rankings:

Champion : Conor McGregor
1 Khabib Nurmagomedov
2 Tony Ferguson
3 Eddie Alvarez
4 Rafael Dos Anjos
5 Edson Barboza
6 Michael Johnson
7 Michael Chiesa
8 Nate Diaz
9 Dustin Poirier
10 Beneil Dariush
11 Al Iaquinta
12 Kevin Lee
13 Evan Dunham
14 Gilbert Melendez
15 Rashid Magomedov

With the lightweight division being as stacked as its ever been, who would you like to see Gaethje fight in his UFC debut? Give us your thoughts below PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 4/27/2017.