Justin Gaethje has always been one of the most exciting fighters on the UFC roster but lately he’s looked like a future title contender as well.
On Saturday night, Gaethje secured his second consecutive first round knockout as he put Edson Barboza to sleep with a vicious right hook that put the Brazilian down and out for good.
While his performances always seem to result in post fight bonuses, Gaethje also has one more secret weapon that he believes will ultimately help him become UFC lightweight champion when he eventually earns his way into a showdown against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“I’m on my way to Khabib and I want to fight him,” Gaethje said on the ESPN+ post fight show. “I think I’m the toughest matchup for him. My wrestling, you guys haven’t seen it yet, I wrestled for 22 years, the last match I ever wrestled was in this arena. The NCAA tournament, I lost, and I was very excited to come back.”
He rarely shows it in his fights but Gaethje was an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler in college and he knows that background could give Nurmagomedov problems considering the way the Russian typically mauls his opponents on the canvas.
Gaethje obviously still has some work to do before he gets a title shot but following his second straight knockout victory, he’s ready for whatever challenge the UFC throws at him next.
“When the time comes, it’s kill or be killed,” Gaethje said. “If it’s you and me (Paul Felder), I don’t care who it is. It could be you, it could be Nate [Diaz], it could be Donald [Cerrone], it could be Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. I don’t care.”
