Justin Gaethje is facing possibly the toughest task of his entire MMA career. He gets to be the twenty-ninth man to challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov inside the cage. However, the 28 before him have failed. The stakes are even higher, considering Khabib’s lightweight title is up for grabs. Gaethje enters as the interim champion but doesn’t want to be called champ until he beats Khabib.
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Gaethje became the top-contender by beating Tony Ferguson. While ‘El Cucuy’ was the opponent Khabib was scheduled to face at UFC 249, those plans fell apart and Gaethje stepped in at short notice. He produced a clinic opposite Tony, ending his vaunted win streak. ‘The Highlight’ knows that this opportunity is rare and initially wasn’t his. He acknowledged the same at the UFC 254 Pre-Fight Press Conference.
He said, “I’m not even supposed to be here. This is supposed to be Tony Ferguson. Thank God I got that opportunity. I took it from him, I took his soul. I perform under those lights. It’s just what I do. It’s ingrained in both of us and we will go out there and fight for our lives.”
Justin Gaethje and his unique opportunity
Gaethje has been constantly overlooked in the UFC. While he debuted with pomp and circumstance, back-to-back losses to Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier had people questioning whether he can fight at the elite level. He has proven that with his latest win-streak he has been, which included him ending Tony Ferguson’s unbeaten run at UFC 249.
However, the streak ahead of him is scarier. Khabib Nurmagomedov has managed to stay undefeated for his entire career, including three UFC title fights. He seems unbeatable and is rightfully the favorite. But Gaethje has a unique combination of wrestling and striking that fans haven’t seen Khabib face before. While Gaethje’s wrestling is untested in MMA, it will be interesting to see how that weapon works against Khabib.
Gaethje does make his money striking, so it will be a challenge for him to overcome Khabib’s attempts to wrestle him down. The window of opportunities might be the smallest they have ever been, but ‘The Highlight’ has proven that he can capitalize on the slightest mistake.
