Justin Gaethje Thinks He Could Be The Man To Beat Khabib Nurmagomedov

Justin Gaethje racked up another stunning victory last night over Edson Barboza at UFC On ESPN 2 and now he’s set his sights on being the first man to defeat current champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“I want to be the world champion,” Gaethje said at the post-fight presser. “I want to fight Khabib, I think I’m one of the biggest threats to his title and that’s my goal. Whoever I have to go through.”

Gaethje also believes that his particular set of skills could also present the undefeated ‘Eagle’ with some serious problems if they did fight.

“My ability to stop takedowns (would make me a bad matchup),” Gaethje said. “I am a Division 1 wrestler. I was a Division 1 All-American, I placed seventh in 2010 and my ability to scramble and avoid takedowns is something he’s never faced. And the power. He’s faced the power, but never with the ability to stop takedowns and scramble. The combination of the two.”

Nurmagomedov is currently out suspended though, so it’s possible that ‘The Highlight’ might have to fight again before he’d be granted a title shot, and he’s not phased by that prospect.

“I don’t know what I have to do. I’m going to put my energy into preparation to do that to every single person I face inside the octagon across from me that’s trying to take everything that I’ve ever worked for.”

Ross launched MMA Insight (previously FightOfTheNight.com) in 2009 as a way to channel his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts. He's since penned countless news stories and live fight reports along with dozens of feature articles as the lead writer for the site, reaching millions of fans in the process.