Khabib Nurmagomedov Was the Toughest but Islam Makhachev Is a Better Matchup: Justin Gaethje

Last year, UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev’s coach Javier Mendez had touted Justin Gaethje to be the biggest threat to his title reign. Unfortunately, at the time Gaethje had fallen out of favor with the gods after losing his BMF title to a last-second KO by Max Holloway at UFC 300. But now, he’s back, raring to go, and believes he has what it takes to not only make it to Islam but also mount a stylistically more adequate challenge than he did against Khabib.

And honestly, that’s no surprise. Khabib’s relentless grappling, suffocating pressure, and unmatched willpower made him one of the most dominant fighters the sport has ever seen. Gaethje, despite his powerful striking and wrestling background, found himself overwhelmed when they clashed at UFC 254 in 2020.

Gatheje fought an emotional Khabib for his retirement match. Throughout the course of the event, the usually calm and composed Dagestani legend instead seemed to be in a hurry to finish the fight. Reiterating how challenging it was, Gaethje said, “That night that I fought Khabib, I would say that he was my toughest opponent to date.” 

However, Islam is a different matter altogether, he believes. Talking about his desire to go on a title campaign one more time, Justin added, “I wanna fight Makhachev, he is the champ, and I do believe that he’s a better matchup for me than Khabib.”

That’s an interesting take, considering Makhachev has been widely regarded as Khabib’s heir, another dominant grappler with elite striking improvements. But Gaethje seems to believe that Islam presents a different kind of challenge, one he’s more equipped to handle. His belief may not be misplaced though.

While Islam is an elite grappler, he remains far more inclined to strike with his opponents than Khabib ever did. This was evident when he fought Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. Now unlike, Poirier, Gaethje’s actually a really proficient wrestler. He also hits like a truck; Khabib himself had admitted to it.

So at least on paper, Islam will have a tougher time adjusting to Gaethjhe.

His power, pressure, and leg kicks against Makhachev’s calculated striking and world-class wrestling? That’s a must-watch fight right there. Whether it happens or not remains to be seen, but if Gaethje gets his shot, you can bet he’ll come swinging for the fences.

Unfortunately, that is also exactly what he will have to do against Dan Hooker upon his return.

UFC 313 a test of Gaethje’s waning powers

At 36 years of age, time is quickly running out for Gaethhje to get on another proper title run. He was almost there last summer but decided to take the BMF title fight against Holloway. While him getting knocked out is what will be remembered from that unfateful day, analysts will also point out that Holloway had thoroughly outclassed him for 5 rounds before doing so.

And now as he returns to fight against Hooker at UFC 313, life is not about to get any easier. Hooker has been described by Israel Adesanya as an “absolute psychopath” and for good reasons. He fights with reckless abandon, which has historically meant whoever he is in the octagon with, leaves a bloody mess. Whether they win or not is a secondary question.

Now Gaethje also has a track record of being able to deal with that. He’s been in these scrappy violent fights throughout his career. But can he still do it? That is the question.

And even if he manages to sneak out with a win, just how long will it take for him to recover and mount a challenge against Makhachev?Khabib Nurmagomedov Was the Toughest but Islam Makhachev Is a Better Matchup: Justin Gaethje