Justin Gaethje has confidence in his ability to dethrone Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov is the reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title holder. He has one successful title defense and will look for his second in a planned championship unification bout with Dustin Poirier. Gaethje has caused quite a stir as of late, saying that he’d be “The Eagle’s” toughest challenge.
Gaethje Explains Why He’d Cause Problems For Khabib
Gaethje appeared on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour.” During his appearance, “The Highlight” went in-depth on what makes him a difficult opponent for Nurmagomedov:
“I think my wrestling credentials alone would benefit me so much in that fight, my ability to stop the takedown. And I’m very confident in my standup, I’m confident in my coach and the gameplan that we would come together with and go out there and execute. I think with my athletic ability I’m a tough out for anybody. My ability to scramble, create scrambles. We’re sweating more [in MMA], I’m more slippery than people wearing singlets and wrestling in college or any wrestling match. So all those factors come into play when it comes to that grappling. And yeah, I’m not going to go in there to wrestle with him. I’m going in there to stop takedowns, and that’s what I’ve been good at this whole time. And in the clinch, I throw hard shots.
“So you can’t fail or prosper without going out there and taking that chance, so I’ve gotta put myself in a position [to get the fight], and I think as opposed to anybody else at the top of this division, I would be the toughest out for him. No doubt. And it’s a challenge that I’m looking forward to.”
Gaethje is coming off two straight knockout victories over James Vick and Edson Barboza. He has yet to exit a UFC bout without picking up a bonus. Gaethje is currently the fifth-ranked UFC lightweight and he awaits his next foe.
Do you think Justin Gaethje can give Khabib Nurmagomedov problems?
