Justin Gaethje Explains Why He’d Be Successful Against Khabib Nurmagomedov

Justin Gaethje has solidified himself as a favorite to receive a shot at the UFC lightweight championship soon. “The Highlight” comes off of a first-round finish over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

Now, Gaethje is looking for a fight against either Conor McGregor or current 155-pound titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov. The latter is being viewed as one of the most dominant champions mixed martial arts (MMA) has ever seen. Nurmagomedov’s grappling ability is unprecedented, and through 28 professional fights, nobody has ever been able to find an answer to the problems “The Eagle” brings to the table.

Speaking to MMA Junkie, Gaethje offered his thoughts on a potential matchup with the Russian phenom. Gaethje noted that there would be no fighting up against the cage in a fight with Nurmagomedov. He’d force the champion to meet him in the center of the Octagon.

“No, it will not be the same,” Gaethje said. “Nothing will happen on the cage. We will fight in the center of the octagon. As much as he’s going to want to fight on the edge of the octagon, we’re going to fight in the center. I’m going to throw massive shots, most of them are going to come right through the middle, and I’m going to take chances, throw knees, and if he takes me down that’s fine.”

If anyone has the experience to hang with Nurmagomedov and his dominant wrestling ability, it’s an NCAA Division 1 All-American wrestler in Gaethje. Gaethje explained how his folkstyle of wrestling will be a huge benefit to him inside the Octagon against Nurmagomedov.

“The thing about folkstyle wrestling, folkstyle wrestling doesn’t happen anywhere else other than the United States,” Gaethje said. “I only wrestle folkstyle. I very rarely wrestle freestyle. In folkstyle, I think the biggest factor is, you’re allowed to expose your back without giving up points, which means you scramble. So whenever he goes to take me down, I’m going to be flipping and rolling in ways that he’s never felt in his life. That’s folkstyle wrestling, being able to expose your back.

“What he’s done his whole life, these guys could never expose their backs to get out of a takedown because they were giving up points, and that’s the first thing you learn in freestyle is don’t expose your back. So you go straight to your stomach, and you give up a takedown. They also never have to get up. They just lay there for 15 seconds, then they stand them up automatically. In folkstyle wrestling, you get rewarded for getting up and escaping.”

What do you think of Gaethje’s chances against Nurmagomedov in a potential fight?