Justin Gaethje knows what he needs to do to win against Khabib Nurmagomedov. The plan is direct. Don’t let Khabib take you down.

On paper, it looks simple enough. Khabib is a world-class grappler. A former Sambo world champion, Nurmagomedov’s treatment of his opponents inside the Octagon is the definition of a mauling. And the majority of it takes place while his opponents are pressed against the cage. Khabib’s grappling involves heavy usage of the cage. The Dagestani juggernaut is highly capable of achieving his desired position once he has opponent pinned against the cage.

Nurmagomedov’s next title defense will be against the interim champ Justin Gaethje. Just like twenty-eight others before him, Gaethje is also gearing up to do what others couldn’t. Survive the storm of Khabib and hand him his first defeat. “The Highlight” made an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience and talked about his strategy for defeating Khabib.

Justin Gaethje reveals the key component for avoiding Khabib Nurmagomedov’s takedowns

While he has now gained recognition as a lethal striker, Gaethje has an extensive wrestling background as well on his resume. While competing at the collegiate level, he earned All-American honor in his junior year. Hence, one can expect Gaethje to hold his own against Nurmagomedov, regardless of how difficult it is.

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“You gotta self-defense. Without the footwork, you can’t stay out of the fence,” Justin Gaethje said during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience. “If he (Khabib) is taking a shot in the open then he will drive you down to the fence. He’s not gonna attempt takedowns in the open. You watch all of his fights. You’ll maybe see five takedowns that he attempted in the middle of the cage. He’ll start in the middle but he is too pushy towards the cage.”

Justin Gaethje displayed his improved footwork in his win over Tony Ferguson. However, since Ferguson didn’t shoot for the takedown when he was at a hundred percent, it’s hard to say if it hindered the takedowns in the first place. It did manage to open up multiple angles for Gaethje to land his strikes.

Gaethje believes that if he controls the distance, he controls the fight against Khabib. His footwork will be the biggest factor heading into the fight. As far as the date is concerned, it shouldn’t be much of an issue since they are both managed by the same manager. The interim champ is hopeful that he will be able to return to the Octagon by September.