Published 12:59 IST, October 20th 2020
Khabib Nurmagomedov takes another shot at Justin Gaethje: 'I’m not Tony Ferguson'
Khabib Nurmagomedov said that he’s not going to fight Justin Gaethje on his feet like Tony Ferguson did. He will rather try to take him down and wrestle.
At UFC 249, Justin Gaethje stopped Tony Ferguson like a brick wall to become the new UFC interim lightweight champion. Justin Gaethje impressed many with his performance, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, who he’s going to face at UFC 254. Though the undefeated lightweight champion acknowledged The Highlight’s win over Ferguson, he made it clear that he’s not quite similar to his previous challenge.
On the Real Quick with Mike Swick podcast, Khabib Nurmagomedov said that he’s not going to fight Justin Gaethje on his feet like Tony Ferguson did. Rather, he will try to take him down and wrestle. Khabib Nurmagomedov claimed that Justin Gaethje knows he can’t keep the fight in the middle of the octagon so he has to keep on moving. Earlier, Justin Gaethje also addressed the champion’s wrestling, stating that he would have to get out of Khabib’s grasp as soon as possible to inflict damage.
“For this fight I think he’s gonna use a lot of footwork, jab, stay away from me. Same thing as with Ferguson, because Ferguson he likes pressure too. I think with me it’s gonna be the same thing but one thing has changed – I am not Tony Ferguson,” he added.
Khabib Nurmagomedov praises Justin Gaethje for his UFC 249 performance
While interacting with Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, Khabib Nurmagomedov said that he was “impressed” with Justin Gaethje’s last performance. He said Justin Gaethje was smart and used all his skills to stop El Cucuy. Khabib Nurmagomedov then admitted that because of his dominant win over Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje would be in a great mindset going into UFC 254.
He added that UFC 254 is Justin Gaethje’s biggest fight and he is likely to do anything he can to win the title. He admitted that he has to be ready and sharp to take on Justin Gaethje.
In the past, Gaethje has dominated his opponents with his impressive takedowns and strikes, but against Khabib Nurmagomedov he is likely to use more of his wrestling. On paper, Justin Gaethje is impressive both on his feet and on the ground, which could spell trouble for Khabib Nurmagomedov who majorly depends on his ground work. During UFC 254 media day, Justin Gaethje claimed that he’s ready to fight both on his feet and the ground, and will give The Eagle more than he can handle.
Image Source: UFC Instagram
Updated 12:59 IST, October 20th 2020