Lightweight favorite Justin Gaethje has made a somewhat stark admission on his overall possibilities of toppling Khabib Nurmagomedov, five years after their clash.
Positioning himself well within the lightweight title picture earlier this 12 months, former interim champion Justin Gaethje turned in his second profession win over Rafael Fiziev, in a brief notice matchup.
And remaining steadfast in his bid to challenge the newly-minted Ilia Topuria for gold in his immediate return, the Arizona star has been linked with a possible recent 12 months comeback.
Previously failing in his bid to scoop undisputed spoils, Gaethje made a somewhat surprise admission of Nurmagomedov’s skills once they shared the Octagon years ago.
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Justin Gaethje claims no one could beat Khabib Nurmagomedov after father’s death
Sharing the cage with the undefeated Russian five years ago in a visit to ‘Fight Island’, then-interim champion Gaethje was stopped in one-sided fashion by Hall of Fame star, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Succumbing to a second round triangle as Nurmagomedov choked him unconscious, Gaethje consoled the emotional champion who retired post-fight off the back of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s sad passing.
Reflecting on the pairing five years down the road, Gaethje claims whomever shared the Octagon with ‘The Eagle’ that night, they’d have suffered an analogous fate as he did.
“No man on earth was beating Khabib (Nurmagomedov) that night, he was fighting for something far greater…,” Gaethje posted on X.
“I lost the fight so I used to be very upset,” Gaethje said. “I understood what he was going through. Every little thing was very public, I knew his father had just passed away within the last month or two. I can imagine how emotional that might be. …I went to him and said, ‘I believe you simply made your dad pretty blissful.’”
Justin Gaethje reveals his scariest UFC opponent
Sharing the Octagon with the who’s who of the lightweight division since his UFC rise back in 2017, Gaethje has prevailed against notable names.
Avenging a loss to the now-retired Dustin Poirier, Gaethje also brought an end to the record-breaking winning spree of fellow former interim gold holder Tony Ferguson.
And even sharing the Octagon in a barnburner with Michael Chandler, Gaethje revealed none of those trio come because the scariest opponent he has faced in the game.