“Can do more than kicking,” Justin Gaethje gets WARNED by champion Islam Makhachev after calling for title shot

Islam Makhachev warns Justin Gaethje, after the latter pokes him on a callout.

“Can do more than kicking,” Justin Gaethje gets WARNED by champion Islam Makhachev after calling for title shot

Islam Makhachev has a reply for Justin Gaethje's callout (Source: IMAGO/UFC.com)

Standing at 25-1, Islam Makhachev is the dormant predator in his weight division right now. He is all but undefeated, with a 13-fight win streak with numerous prospective challenges in sight. One such prospect, Justin Gaethje, poked the dormant Dagestani for a challenge. In the near past, Makhachev had turned down Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan‘s rematch and called out Gaethje.

The likes of Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, Gathje, and rising prospect Tsarukyan have made callouts for a lightweight title bout. Closing out the year, UFC had taken to social media to recap Gaethje’s win over 29-8 Poirier at UFC 291 in a video, and a celebratory back flip. Replying to the thread, the fighter took to X and instigated a callout to Makhachev, with no time better than the present. Here’s what the Dagestani wrote on the matter:

I can do more than kicking, be careful...
Islam Makhachev on X
YouTube video

The non-cryptic heads-up followed two sleeping emoticons; expressing his stern motives. This also alluded to Makhachev knocking down Alexander Volkanovski with a shin kick to the head, at UFC 294. His previous two-glory outing against the featherweight saw the mark of much post-fight rumor. But the pound-for-pound #1 shut off his critiques with much grandiose.

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Along with the Dagestani, Oliveira was supposed to headline UFC 294 in a rematch of their own. But he had to pull out. He suffered a cut above his eyebrow in training. Recently, Makhachev lauded them as “All good options“, but was dismissive of their chances altogether. as long as he remained the titleholder.

Justin Gaethje expresses interest in an Islam Makhachev face-off

At the zenith of his division, lightweight king Islam Makhachev has had many recent callouts. One of them now is Justin Gaethje. The 25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC contender tagged both Makhachev and CEO Dana White, hopeful for a pairing. Gathje’s notion of “waiting on the call” for the Makhachev face-off has fans hopeful for UFC 300, despite Ramadan’s interjecting.

Justin Gaethje makes callout to Islam Makhachev, invoking the pegging down of Charles Oliveira
Justin Gaethje makes callout to Islam Makhachev, invoking the pegging down of Charles Oliveira (Source: IMAGO/Twitter)

Makhachev himself on the other hand responded with a warning of his own. If there was ever a Dagestani version of “Be careful what you wish for” – this would be it. The champion, who made a slight about his kick, put his shins to good use at UFC 294. Check out what Gaethje had primarily tweeted, down below.

Gathje also induced Charles Oliveira into the callout, whom Makhachev recently, and overtly rejected. Hence, Gaethje passionately urged the promotional taskmaster White to book his third undisputed title contention bout, against the champion.

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