During a recent on-camera conversation, UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje found himself fielding a provocative hypothetical: How many female UFC athletes would it take to take him down in a match?
The question came from influencer N3on, who asked, “Who would win? Three girl UFC athletes vs you?”
Gaethje didn’t hesitate with his initial response. “Well, me. But it’s a hypothetical,” he said confidently.
N3on then pushed further, asking how many female professionals it would realistically take to defeat him. After a brief pause, Gaethje estimated that it would require “five or six” female UFC athletes to overcome him.
The discussion took a more specific turn when the scenario shifted to multiple versions of Kayla Harrison, the former Olympic judo gold medalist and current UFC bantamweight champion. At that point, Gaethje’s certainty seemed to soften.
“Well, it depends. Like five Kayla Harrisons? I can take three of them probably. Two maybe,” he said.
Gaethje also acknowledged the uncomfortable nature of the topic. “See, it’s hard to answer these questions because you’re always putting somebody down,” he explained.
There has been an ongoing debate within mixed martial arts circles about how elite female competitors would fare against male counterparts.
UFC Hall of Famer Matt Serra has been among the most vocal advocates for recognizing the capabilities of top female stars. “I think Amanda Nunes and Ronda Rousey could beat up most, a lot of men,” Serra stated during his podcast. “A lot of, I mean, you put him with a linebacker who’s got some wrestling. I mean, listen, come on, man. But my point is they could beat a lot of them. They could break an arm. I truly believe that.”
Serra’s perspective comes from personal observation. “I don’t know, man. I’ve seen my daughter put another kid to sleep. There are strong kids. You know what I mean? I’ve seen it,” he explained, drawing on his experience watching high-level female grapplers.
The former welterweight champion expressed particular admiration for Ronda Rousey’s technical abilities. “I enjoy personally the girl matchup. I enjoyed it since Ronda Rousey. We talking about Ronda Rousey. I’ll still go back and I could watch her flipping somebody and taking an arm lock. I mean, her arm lock transitions are some of the best in MMA. Even the way she breaks the grip, the way they just, she had some great great finishes in there.”
Regarding Amanda Nunes, Serra cited conversations with coach Din Thomas about her power. “He’s like, ‘Matt, man, you know, I’ll put her with guys her size. She not only hits hard, she’s very accurate.’ Like, if you look at her match, those punches are… they’re landing and they’re landing hard.”
Kayla Harrison herself has never shied from bold declarations about her grappling abilities. In a 2021 clip that recently resurfaced, Harrison addressed hypothetical challenges with characteristic confidence.
“Listen! Everyone keeps saying, ‘oh how do you solve the Kayla Harrison puzzle, how do you beat her?’ Spoiler alert! There’s no freaking puzzle, I put you on your back and I mess you up. I told you one by one, they’re all gonna fall. So doubt me now. But I’m going to show you how great I am,” Harrison declared.
She went further, referencing former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. “Scientists, you kept talking about scientists, scientists at City Kickboxing…Izzy couldn’t stop my takedowns!” The statement raised eyebrows given the considerable size difference between the two athletes.
Harrison, a former judo world champion with a professional MMA record of 16 wins and 1 loss, transitioned from the PFL to the UFC where she made her promotional debut facing former bantamweight champion Holly Holm.
