Justin Gaethje believes he has what it takes to cause Khabib Nurmagomedov all sorts of problems he has never faced before.
Gaethje faces Nurmagomedov in a lightweight title unification clash that will headline the UFC 254 pay-per-view event on October 24 in Fight Island.
“The Highlight” notably earned the chance to face Nurmagomedov after his impressive fifth-round TKO win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 in May to become the interim lightweight champion. It was Ferguson’s first loss since 2012.
Gaethje: Nurmagomedov Not As Crazy As Me
When it comes to Nurmagomedov, “The Highlight” has already vowed to take the Dagestan native to a “zone of death” and believes their fight will also see the lightweight king bleed for the first time.
“I know I’m going to see his blood,” Gaethje told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto in a recent interview. “So I want him to see his blood and I want to see his reaction. I don’t think he’s as crazy as me. That’s the thing. I think he’s crazy and he loves competition, but I don’t think he’s quite as crazy as me.
“And he has not seen his blood very many times, I’m sure. His style of fighting is not something where you are looking for blood or anything like that. I bet that doesn’t even cross his mind, whether he will see his own blood or not see his own blood. That’s never been a factor for him. … I don’t think he’s as crazy as me and I’m not sure what it will be but I’m pretty sure he’s going to freak out a bit.”
“I know I’m gonna see [Khabib’s] blood.”@Justin_Gaethje wants to see how Nurmagomedov reacts when things get bloody 😳 (via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/6m5QqNlyjH
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 22, 2020
Nurmagomedov is 28-0 and is yet to truly be tested, let alone bleed in any of his fights in the UFC.
We have just over a month to find out if Gaethje is the one who can take him to his limit or just be yet another fighter who gets dominated by Nurmagomedov.
