The question Justin Gaethje hopes to answer on October 24, in the UFC 254 main event, is that same question that over two dozen fighters before him have failed at: how to overcome the puzzle that is Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Whatever the Dagestani fighter’s kryptonite may be, it has yet to be discovered by any of his past 28 opponents. That 28-0 mark is a daunting one, the best in the promotion by far. Gaethje (22-2), the UFC’s interim lightweight champ, recognizes that Nurmagomedov has “fought a lot of different guys.” But a few things set “The Highlight” apart.
“My confidence is probably my biggest factor right now, paired with the power that I possess, paired with the coach that I have,” Gaethje explained at a UFC 254 media day on Thursday. “That’s a dangerous combination. And I don’t care if I win or lose. At the end of the day, as long as I make my family happy, as long as I’m proud of my performance, than it doesn’t matter. That’s what makes me most dangerous.”
There’s that, and his wrestling background. Gaethje is a folkstyle wrestler, and he’s used that to shore up his defense. “I never had a great offense, but you could not take me down, and you could not hold me down,” he said of his time on the mats.
“It’s very important to stay off the ground. I’m not trying to go in there and wrestle with Khabib. I don’t think I could beat him in a wrestling match, because I haven’t focused on wrestling like that, to win a wrestling match,” Gaethje admitted. “I’m not there. But I’ve constantly worked on my defense. That’s never gone away.”
If he Khabib manages to put him on the mat, “I need to make him work like his life depends on it. If he does take me down, then I need to make sure that I threaten him with something that will at least make him hesitate the next time,” Gaethje added.
As for that power in his hands, “I’ve got to touch him when he’s least expecting it, in a spot that he will go to sleep,” Gaethje suggested.
The former World Series of Fighting champion knows that the title unification fight is the most important fight in a career full of them. He’s not about to let nerves creep in, however. “It’s the biggest fight of my life. Absolutely, there’s no doubt about it,” said Gaethje. “But I’m not going to let outside influences influence the way I need to think or act or prepare. It’s really just staying true to my belief, which is be better than yesterday, make better choices than yesterday.”
It’s a mindset that has taken him through eight weeks of camp, with three and change left to go. Perhaps it will help him put a dent in Nurmagomedov’s perfect record.
“I probably despise that man more than anybody on earth. Other than pedophiles and murderers and things like that.”
While Gaethje is always one to focus on the task at hand (ask him, and he’ll no doubt tell you that the world ends on October 24, because he refuses to look past his fights), there was one topic that got him talking. Outside of UFC 254, that is.
That would be Colby Covington. The pair were recently pictured together meeting U.S. President Donald Trump. “I was singing his praises because of how professional he was and how he held himself,” Gaethje said of his initial reaction to meeting Covington. “And then he went on to do a bunch of interviews.” Apparently, not interviews Justin Gaethje enjoyed. “I probably despise that man more than anybody on earth. Other than pedophiles and murderers and things like that. But he is a coward. He stands there and acts like this soft-hearted dude, then he gets behind a camera and is a total coward and a fake person.”
“I’ve never met someone as fake as Colby Covington,” added Gaethje. “As a man, I would love to slap him right across the face.”
Watch the full UFC 254 virtual media scrum with Justin Gaethje above. The card goes down live on October 24 on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
