Islam Makhachev picks Justin Gaethje after growing tired of rematches; fans react: “Gets unlimited title fights” 

UFC pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev wants to defend his lightweight title against Justin Gaethje next. 

Islam Makhachev picks Justin Gaethje after growing tired of rematches; fans react: “Gets unlimited title fights” 

Islam Makhachev plans to fight Justin Gaethje (via Imago)

Islam Makhachev recently defended his UFC lightweight title for the fourth time against Renato Moicano at UFC 311. The pound-for-pound ace finished the fight via a first-round submission without getting any damage. This had fans excited about his potential comeback as it turns out Justin Gaethje might be the top contender next. 

Islam Makhachev has various opportunities like the title rematch with Charles Oliveira or a potential lightweight title defense against Arman Tsarukyan.  However, the champion has always been inclined towards fighting new opponents. In a recent interview, the Dagestani fighter shared his intentions to fight the former BMF champion Justin Gaethje. 

I like this idea because I haven’t fought Justin yet… I’ve already fought [Oliveira and Arman], and preparing for the same opponent is not such a big motivation. But if Gaethje shows himself well in the next fight, we can meet.

Islam Makhachev via Ushatayka’s YouTube channel 
YouTube video

Gaethje was close to fighting Islam Makhachev last year before he got knocked out by Max Holloway at UFC 300. In his position, Dustin Poirier got the opportunity, but he wasn’t able to stop Makhachev. Gaethje, on the other hand, took a long break given the way he lost. Coming back from a devastating knockout like that is not easy, and he is currently scheduled to fight Dan Hooker at UFC 313. 

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After his dominant win at UFC 311, Makhachev talked about potentially making his return for the International Fight Week. If the ‘Highlight’ manages to beat Hooker in Las Vegas, he would probably have four months to prepare for the Makhachev fight. However, there is a chance that he might find himself in a similar situation to last year.

Fight fans react to Islam Makhachev calling out Justin Gaethje 

At UFC 311, Islam Makhachev proved why he’s the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. His performance even forced CEO Dana White to ditch Jon Jones and accept Makhachev’s P4P status. Going forward, the Dagestani native has made an invincible aura about himself, which is going to be extremely tough to break. 

Islam Makhachev beats Renato Moicano at UFC 311
Islam Makhachev beats Renato Moicano at UFC 311 (via MMA Fighting)

Arman Tsarukyan was one of the fan favorites to do so but now he has plans to fight Charles Oliveira. The lightweight division has continued its legacy of being the most competitive in the UFC roster. Nevertheless, here are some reactions from fight fans to Makhachev’s decision to fight Justin Gaethje.

The news about Makhachev eyeing to fight Gaethje caught the attention of many fight fans, who didn’t shy away from making fun of the champion. According to the critics, Gaethje is an easy opponent, due to having a poor background in grappling. It would be interesting to see whether UFC takes this suggestion seriously and makes the fight.

Related: How Islam Makhachev retirement and Usman Nurmagomedov’s arrival to UFC is linked