Justin Gaethje says Khabib is the toughest
opponent he’s ever faced, and his dream fight is against Islam
Makhachev 👀“[Islam] is the champ, and I do believe that is a better matchup
for me than Khabib.”Advertisement
🎥 @Justin_Gaethje
#UFC
#MMApic.twitter.com/NvMALCtqE4
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS)
February 17, 2025
While both Khabib
Nurmagomedov and Islam
Makhachev rank among the best fighters in MMA history, Justin
Gaethje believes he has a better chance of beating the current
UFC lightweight champion.
Gaethje suffered a failed lightweight title bid against
Nurmagomedov via submission at UFC 254 in 2020. During a recent
Q&A session posted on his YouTube channel, “The Highlight” named Nurmagomedov as
his toughest test ever. According to Gaethje, he probably couldn’t
have beaten “Eagle” at UFC 254 even if he had performed better.
Nurmagomedov retired after UFC 254, citing the demise of his father
and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov’s teammate,
Makhachev, soon took over as the lightweight champ and continues to
rule the division. With Gaethje potentially nearing the end of his
career, a title shot against Makhachev is a dream for the former
interim champ. Gaethje also believes he could fare better against
Makhachev than he ever would against Nurmagomedov.
“I think Khabib was the one who I felt, even if I performed better,
I’m not sure that I could have beat him on that night
specifically,” Gaethje said. “So that night that I fought Khabib, I
would say that he was my toughest opponent to date… I want to fight
Makhachev. He’s the champ, and I do believe that that is a better
matchup for me than Khabib. But he’s good.”
Gaethje is coming off an iconic BMF title loss against Max
Holloway at UFC 300 in April 2024 that saw a two-fight winning
streak snapped. The fan favorite is now set to clash with Dan Hooker in
a striker’s delight at UFC 313
on March 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Makhachev
hasn’t lost since 2015 and has defended his lightweight title four
times.