UFC 300 star Justin Gaethje claims Islam Makhachev is not ‘invincible’ like Khabib Nurmagomedov

Justin Gaethje explains why Islam Makhachev is not the same as Khabib Nurmagomedov ahead of UFC 300.

UFC 300 star Justin Gaethje claims Islam Makhachev is not ‘invincible’ like Khabib Nurmagomedov

Justin Gaethje on Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov (Image via Imago)

Justin Gaethje recently did an interview where he pointed out the main difference between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. Gaethje was the last fighter to lose to Nurmagomedov and he is currently #2 in the lightweight division where Makhachev is the champion. Therefore, he is in an interesting position to compare the two Dagestani champions and talk about a potential fight with the current champion.

When it came to comparing their abilities, Islam Makhachev‘s biggest rival has always been Khabib Nurmagomedov. The two were brought up together on the mat by Nurmagomedov’s father. Gaethje recently sat down for an interview with Shak MMA on their YouTube channel. There he talked about fighting Islam Makhachev and how he thought it would fare out. Gaethje said: 

He’s great, I think he’s gonna be hard to beat. But he’s not invincible….he’s been beat before and I think that’s the biggest difference.
Justin Gaethje via Shak MMA
YouTube video

Gaethje believes the fact that Nurmagomedov went undefeated while Makhachev incurred a loss shows that he is not impossible to defeat. ‘The Human Highlight’ acknowledged the reigning lightweight champion’s prowess in the octagon but he is confident he will fare well with the Dagestani.

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Meanwhile, Makhachev is eyeing a third title defense against Dustin Poirier soon. However, the Dagestani does not want this fight to be his only win this year. That is why he announced that he is open to another matchup by the end of this year. Now the opportunity to face Makhachev for a shot at the title, should he win against Poirier is open for Gaethje.

Who does Justin Gaethje want to fight next after UFC 300?

Justin Gaethje beat Dustin Poirier last year at UFC 291 to become the BMF champion. Now, he will finally defend his title against former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway at UFC 300. However, Gaethje has already thought out his next fight.

Justin Gaethje on the UFC lightweight title race and when he wants to fight for it
Justin Gaethje speaks on the UFC lightweight title race (via Imago)

Justin Gaethje recently sat down for an interview with MMA Junkie. There he talked about fighting the winner of the Charles Oliveira vs Arman Tsarukyan fight this November. 

Ideally, they’re calling this Oliveira-Tsarukyan fight a title eliminator, so the winner of that fight fights in June, then I fight the winner of that in preferably Madison Square Garden in November.
Justin Gaethje via MMA Junkie

Oliveira and Tsarukyan are on the same card as Gaethje and Holloway and Gaethje believes it is the perfect situation for him. Justin Gaethje said that it would be a perfect timeline for him as he would have time to rest, recover, and retrain himself to get ready for the fight. Interestingly, Tsarukyan, Gaethje, and Oliveira are all gunning for Makhachev’s lightweight title.