Justin Gaethje is well aware of the skill that his next opponent brings to the table, and he prepares himself for a specific mindset to overcome them.
Gaethje, the UFC interim lightweight champion, is not too worried about whether his wrestling defense will stop against the sympathetic Sambo attack of undisputed titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov. Instead, he is focused on getting the champion in his sight and turning their fight into an absolute war.
“We’re not wrestling anymore,” Gaethje said during a performance at Michael Bisping’s Trust me podcast. ‘There will be a zone for me, it’s not very big. It will be a zone of death, and I must represent death every time he enters that zone. That’s where I’m the best, making carnage. Car accidents.
“That my only goal when I step in is to make as many car crashes as possible. Whether it’s hitting our bodies, hitting our heads, hitting our f ** king shoulders, my fist hitting his head, his fist hitting my head, it does not matter – I have to make car accidents, because it’s the only way is to beat this man. ”
Gaethje meets Nurmagomedov in a single match for UFC 254 on October 24. In a location yet to be determined. So far, Nurmagomedov is a perfect 28-0 as a professional fighter.
After stopping Tony Ferguson’s 12-win streak in his most recent outing, Gaethje has now won four straight. With his renowned knockout power, endurance, and Division-I All-American wrestling background, Gaethje has long been considered a potential film for “The Eagle.”
Gaethje also expects things to go wrong in the fight. One of the reasons he will not be discouraged when Nurmagomedov exits him in the early stages of action is the fact that he is currently being beaten by some of the brightest American wrestling talents in his training, including Big Ten Champion Ryan Deakin.
Nor does he reject Nurmagomedov’s standup skills. He sees the current lightweight king as elite in multiple categories.
“It’s a fight,” said Gaethje. “We watch this sport and we understand that there are levels, Michael and I really understand that there are levels, and this is a fight at the highest level. There’s no fighting with more skill sets, other than submissions – you could bring suggestions to the table, but who the f ** k needs that? Beyond that, this represents the pinnacle of the sport. He is 28-0. I have two losses, both were fights of the year.
‘I never got out of the cage without my opponent being absolutely broken from physical damage. He has never gone out with a lot of physical damage, so we’ll see who can uphold their will and only one of us will. I think it’s going to be a battle for ages. “
Gaethje takes particular pride in having a battle in the US against Russia, as he never expected to represent his country competitively at every level growing up in Safford, Ariz. He knows he has to fight the ‘perfect’ for 25 minutes.
His task would be much easier if Nurmagomedov would see any cracks in his game. Asked if he is one of the champion’s weaknesses, Gaethje speculates that there are aspects on the psychological side that can be exploited.
“I think his biggest weakness is that I believe he thinks he is infallible,” Gaethje said. ‘I think if you told him that or brought that to his attention, I believe he would be very good at explaining to you how he does not believe that, but I believe he surrounds himself with people who ego stumble. I believe that culture – this is what I always reckon – they can stumble your ego, I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it up there. I’ve seen fighters just surround themselves with a pose that really pumps them up and up.
‘At the end of the day he breathes oxygen. His brain needs to get oxygen. If I can short that oxygen supply for half a second, he’s going to sleep. ‘
