Justin Gaethje

If Khabib Nurmagomedov wins at UFC 254, something special is next

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The UFC‘s undisputed lightweight king put the retirement rumors to bed at today’s media day. As Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0) took questions he said that he didn’t believe that he would retire if he defeats Justin Gaethje (22-2) at UFC 254.

Nurmagomedov talked about his love for competition and his love for competing inside the UFC. The champ told reporters, “I love competition. I love competing with the best fighters in the world. That’s why I’m here. I’m not in the UFC to make money.”

There have been a lot of rumors talking about what would be next if Nurmagomedov remains unbeaten at UFC 254. There have been questions on if he would walk away or if he’d rematch Conor McGregor or perhaps a match with Georges St. Pierre. The lightweight champ said Dana White is working on something for him after the fight.

“We have a couple of options. We’re going to think about this after this fight. Dana told me, after this fight, he has something special for me. They said, ‘We have very big things after this fight for you,'” Nurmagomedov told reporters.

What are the UFC’s Plans?

It is unclear right now what the UFC has in store for Khabib if he’s able to defeat Gaethje later this month which will be no easy task. You could make the argument that Justin Gaethje is the hardest stylistic matchup for Khabib inside the UFC‘s lightweight division.

If Khabib wins on October 24th, I think that the GSP fight is definitely one of the options on the table. We’ve also heard about a potential coaching stint on the Ultimate Fighter with Conor McGregor. Although Dana White said that was off the table yesterday.

Khabib Nurmagomedov has become one of the biggest stars in the UFC. If he does only have a couple of fights left with the promotion, I expect the UFC to try to do some big things for him. While nothing is set in stone until after UFC 254, I would expect it to be something big.

UFC: Justin Gaethje responds to Conor McGregor, ‘You never wanted it!’

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Over this past weekend, UFC superstar Conor McGregor has been in the news. He came out and claimed that he would be boxing Manny Pacquiao instead of competing inside the octagon for his next bout in combat sports.

This seemed to go along with the something fun the UFC had planned for McGregor in early 2021. In addition to that, there’s been some back and forth between Dana White and Conor McGregor. McGregor released private conversation photos between him and White.

White said that the UFC superstar broke man code. However, McGregor fired back telling the UFC president to stop lying and that he broke the code first. In those screenshots, McGregor seemingly asked for Justin Gaethje in July.

The current UFC interim champion was begging for a fight with McGregor back in January. However, McGregor took a fight against Donald Cerrone for UFC 246. This is not something Gaethje forgot, and he pointed it out on Twitter.

The fight the UFC couldn’t make happen

This is one of those fights that got away in 2020. Had COVID not hit, the promotion would have booked McGregor and Gaethje for a fight in July. That was all but confirmed in the screenshots between McGregor and White that McGregor released.

However, Khabib Nurmagomedov was unable to fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 due to traveling COVID restrictions. Gaethje stepped in and won the interim lightweight championship. This would setup his fight at UFC 254 with Nurmagomedov.

When the UFC came calling about the McGregor fight again, Gaethje said no as his tweet suggests. He was coming from the point that he’s earned his shot against Khabib, and he won’t entertain McGregor now that he finally wants to fight him.

Gaethje had been calling out the UFC superstar for some time. It’s a fight that I think a lot of fans would love to see, but the promotion couldn’t make it happen. I still think that McGregor will fight in the UFC in 2021.

Perhaps win or lose next month, the promotion could make the McGregor – Gaethje grudge match finally happen. These two men do not like each other, and it would make for an incredible fight in my opinion.

Conor McGregor to UFC President: ‘Stop lying!’

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Conor McGregor, UFC

It has been a wild couple of days involving Conor McGregor and the UFC. First, the former champion releases screenshots of a conversation between him and Dana White proving that McGregor was eager to have a busy 2020 in the UFC.

Then McGregor said he would be boxing Manny Pacquiao next. Pacquiao’s camp confirmed the talks yesterday. However, Dana White was not really pleased with McGregor when it comes to the way he tweeted all of this out. White said McGregor broke, “Man Code,” at the UFC 253 post-fight press conference.

Well, early this morning, McGregor had a rebuttal for the UFC President. In his response, McGregor pointed out that White broke code first, and he said that White is in on the Pacquiao talks. White said last night that he didn’t know anything about the boxing match.

UFC vs McGregor

Right now, we are in a classic battle of he said-he said. McGregor is right in that White originally commented that McGregor didn’t want to fight months ago. However, White clarified his comments later saying he was referring to McGregor not wanting to be a replacement.

That statement was confirmed by the former UFC champion’s screenshots. White came out last week and said that the UFC was working on something fun for McGregor in early 2021 so I find it a little hard to believe that White said that he didn’t know anything about the potential boxing match.

Ariel Helwani of ESPN reported that the UFC was in on the talks to make that happen. I believe that White was more annoyed by the entire situation and threw the response out there to focus more on UFC 253 versus what’s happening with McGregor.

It has been a frustrating year for McGregor and the UFC. McGregor wanted to be active in 2020. A fight with Justin Gaethje made sense. However, when Gaethje beat Tony Ferguson for the interim UFC lightweight title, that fight went out the window.

The promotion was targeting McGregor – Gaethje for their event in July. That would have headlined the UFC‘s first trip to Fight Island. However, Gaethje is now fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254 for the undisputed lightweight title.

I don’t think public spats over Twitter help anything. McGregor and the UFC have always had a good relationship, and I think that White and McGregor just need to talk it out. Although things look bleak at the moment, I still expect McGregor to fight in the UFC sometime next year.

Michael Chandler on UFC 254 backup role: ‘Perfect way to introduce myself’

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Michael Chandler

There’s a new UFC lightweight that is going to quickly become a promotional favorite. That lightweight is Michael Chandler (21-5) who just signed a deal with the promotion last week. Chandler had been a multiple time lightweight champion in Bellator prior to signing with the UFC.

Not only did Chandler sign with the UFC, but he signed on to be the backup for UFC 254. That card is headlined by the lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0) and Justin Gaethje (22-2). Should one fall out, Chandler will step into the title fight.

It’s an interesting decision for Chandler to agree to this for his UFC debut. Most people would want a traditional camp to prepare for a debut. However, Chandler’s thoughts on the matter is, “It’s the perfect way to introduce myself. I’ve never turned down a fight… I’ve never not shown up,” Chandler told ESPN.

A New UFC Company Man

Chandler has to be a favorite of UFC President Dana White already, and he hasn’t even fought. When Chandler came to terms with the UFC, he made it clear to the promotion that he would do anything that needed him to.

“This was the perfect time for me to insert my name into the mix. Dana said, ‘Will you fight on October 24th?’ I told him I’d be ready September 24th. He asked if I would fight one of those guys (Tony Ferguson or Dustin Poirier), I said absolutely. He asked if I’d backup the main event, I said absolutely,” Chandler said.

It’s clear that Chandler was willing to accept anything that the UFC offered. Chandler has been chomping at the bit to prove that he’s the best lightweight in the world for years. He sees this as the perfect time to jump to the UFC to prove that he’s truly the best.

Ferguson and Poirier have stayed loyal to their fight, so for now, Chandler will train to be the backup at UFC 254. He’s ready to go up against the best of the best if he has to. “Either I am who I say I am or I’m not. Sink or swim,” Chandler said.

BREAKING: Michael Chandler signs with the UFC

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Michael Chandler

The hottest name in MMA free agency is officially off the board. Michael Chandler (21-5) is heading to the UFC. Dana White took to SportsCenter this morning to announce that the promotion has inked a deal with the talented lightweight.

The UFC has been seen as the favorite from the very beginning to sign Chandler. After spending the majority of his career with Bellator, it appeared that Chandler was ready to test himself inside the UFC who has the deepest lightweight talent pool in the world.

It was reported yesterday that the promotion and Chandler were in advanced talks on a deal. Again, this wasn’t surprising given Chandler’s desire to compete against the best in the sport. The UFC president just made the news official.

Chandler’s first UFC Fight

Dana White went on to say that Chandler would be traveling to Abu Dhabi for the UFC‘s upcoming trip to Fight Island. While there have been rumors surrounding a possible fight with Tony Ferguson, that’s not the current plan. Chandler will be serving as the UFC 254 backup.

Should Khabib Nurmagomedov or Justin Gaethje not be able to make the main event, Chandler will step in. If that were to happen, Chandler’s debut would be fighting for either the interim or the undisputed UFC lightweight champion.

The promotion’s lightweight division just got even deeper. For years, people have wanted to see Chandler compete in the octagon, and now he’s going to get his chance. There are so many exciting matchups for Chandler inside the UFC.

I really don’t think the promotion can go wrong with booking Chandler. Matchups with anyone in the top five would make for great fights.

The UFC has set their next run for Fight Island

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UFC, Dana White

The UFC‘s next run on Fight Island is officially set. The promotion hadn’t announced the location of several big fights coming up because things were not finalized. However, Brett Okamoto confirmed last night that the promotion will be returning to Fight Island on September 26th.

The promotion is going to be doing a five week run on Fight Island with the first fight being UFC 253. The promotion will conclude their run towards the end of October with UFC 254.

UFC cards on Fight Island

There are going to be some incredible fights that are coming to Abu Dhabi. Of course, the first card is headlined by what Dana White is dubbing the fight of the year already. UFC 253 is headlined by Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa for the middleweight title.

The co-main event of the evening is going to be crowning the first UFC light heavyweight champion not named Jon Jones or Daniel Cormier since 2011. Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz will go to war to determine who will be the new king of 205.

So many great fights are sandwiched in between the the PPVs including Brian Ortega – Chan Sung Jung, Marlon Moraes – Cory Sandhagen, Thiago Santos – Glover Teixeira and many more.

This run on Fight Island will conclude with UFC 254 that is headlined by the undisputed lightweight title fight between UFC champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and interim champion, Justin Gaethje. The card isn’t finalized yet, but the rumor mill is saying the card will be unreal.

Robert Whittaker – Jared Cannonier will be on that card as well. A fight with Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier is expected to be the co-main event. The UFC has big things planned for this trip to Fight Island.

 

 

Is the UFC finalizing Tony Ferguson – Dustin Poirier?

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Tony Ferguson, UFC

There is no better division in MMA than the lightweight division. It’s the deepest talent pool in the sport. In October, the current two best in the world, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje, will battle for the UFC lightweight championship at UFC 254.

Behind them, former interim lightweight champions, Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) and Tony Ferguson (25-4) have both been on social media teasing their next UFC fight. When asked if these two were going to fight each other, UFC President Dana White smiled and said, “Probably.” We now might know our timeline for the event.

A UFC Card in October

At the end of next month, the UFC will be heading back to Fight Island, likely starting with UFC 253. White has said that the promotion is expecting to stay there for five or six weeks straight. UFC 254 headlined by Khabib – Gaethje will be on Fight Island.

With Poirier coming out and stating that his next fight is two months away, it’s likely that the anticipated matchup with Ferguson will also be on Fight Island in October. It’ll be interesting to see which card the UFC decides to place this matchup.

A lot of fans were jumping at the possibility of this being the co-main event to Khabib – Gaethje. While that would certainly boost the PPV card, I feel like fans would be robbed a little if this was a co-main event.

To me, a fight between the two former UFC champions needs to be it’s own main event. One of the fight nights on Fight Island so we can see these two guys go five full rounds. Both men are capable, and you know it would be an insane fight.

Ferguson is coming off a loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 while Poirier is coming off of a win against Dan Hooker at UFC on ESPN 12. A win for either one of these men would likely make them next for whoever wins between Khabib and Gaethje.

Of course, the one thing that could throw a wrench into the plans is Khabib’s desired fight with Georges St. Pierre. If Nurmagomedov decides he wants to fight GSP then walk away, it’ll leave the winner of Ferguson – Poirier with no one to fight.

Perhaps the UFC would pivot to another title fight with the Notorious Conor McGregor in that case. So Khabib would ride off into the sunset after fighting GSP and McGregor would fight the winner of Poirier – Ferguson for the UFC lightweight title after it’s vacated. A lot of interesting scenarios in the UFC‘s lightweight division.

How would Patricio “Pitbull” Freire fair in the UFC?

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Patricio Pitbull Freire

Over the weekend, the media were quick to ask UFC President Dana White about the comments that Scott Coker made regarding Bellator’s light heavyweight division. Coker stated that their division was better than the UFC’s.

White responded with a short and quick, “Isn’t he cute?” The media followed-up by asking about if the UFC be interested in cross promotional super fights. White dismissed this saying nothing would be interesting.

When the media followed-up asking about arguably Bellator’s top fighter, Patricio Pitbull (30-4), White played it off. He said he couldn’t tell you anything about Bellator’s double champ. Pitbull wasn’t pleased with the response.

How would Pitbull fair in the UFC?

Let me start out by stating that I’m a big fan of Patricio Pitbull. I think he is a great fighter, and I truly believe that he can compete with anyone in the UFC‘s featherweight division. There is a reason that Pitbull is currently ranked 4th in the ESPN featherweight rankings.

I believe that Patricio Pitbull would be squarely in the top five of the UFC‘s featherweight rankings if he was with the promotion. Would he beat Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, or Zabit Magomedsharipov? I’m not sure about that, but he would definitely be competitive.

Where I don’t see him being very competitive is in the UFC‘s lightweight division. Pitbull is the Bellator lightweight champion as well, but that’s not his natural weight class. The UFC‘s lightweight division is the deepest division in the history of the sport.

Yes, Patricio Freire has a knockout over top free agent Michael Chandler, but I’m not sure how he would do against the UFC‘s best. Imagine Pitbull against Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Conor McGregor, Tony Ferguson, Dustin Poirier, and I could go on and on. He’d be a sizable underdog in any of those contests.

If the UFC and Bellator would ever agree to such an event, I would implore Pitbull to take on the UFC‘s featherweight champion. That would be a competitive fight. However, I don’t think he could swim with those sharks at lightweight. What do you think?

 

UFC: Justin Gaethje Has Confident Words For Khabib Nurmagomedov

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The buildup to the lightweight title unification fight between Justin Gaethje and Khabib Nurmagomedov has been great so far. The two are set to fight for the belt in October, but the war of words has already started.

Khabib has said that he’ll drown Gaethje with his ground and pound skills. Gaethje, on the other hand, believes he’ll counter it with a ‘zone of death.’ Pretty aggressive language for both fighters, and it shows just how confident both are in their abilities.

Gaethje spoke to former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping on the Believe You Me podcast. During the appearance, he pointed out his experience in wrestling and gave some reasons for his own confidence going into this one.

Gaethje and the ‘zone of death’

“I was a Division-1 All-American…” Gaethje said. “Division-I college wrestling in America is the highest level other than going to the Olympics and wrestling on the international level. But we’re not wrestling anymore.There’s going to be a zone in front of me. It’s not very big. It’s going to be a zone of death, and if I have to represent death every time he enters the zone, that’s what I’m the best (at) – creating carnage, creating car crashes.”

Gaethje stated further that creating as many of these ‘car crashes’ as possible is his goal. He also spoke about his current training partners, which includes some of the top current NCAA wrestlers, who he even admits to struggling against in training. He also had a reflection to make from his past fights.

“I have never not come out of the cage with my opponent not being broken from physical damage,” Gaethje said. There’s not much of a lie there. Gaethje only has two career losses and both of them were Fight of the Night performances where his opponent didn’t get off easy. “He’s never not walked out with a lot of physical damage, so we’re going to see who’s going to impose their will. It’ll be interesting. I do think it’ll be a battle for the ages.”

Nurmagomedov is unlike any opponent that Gaethje has faced before. However, his victory against Tony Ferguson in the fifth round is proof that Gaethje can hang with some of the top ground fighters in the game.

At UFC 254, we’ll see if that experience is enough to hang with Khabib, who is still undefeated and on the hunt for a 30-0 record before retirement. It will be a while before the event takes place. It’s scheduled for October 24th, 2020. But based on the talk so far, it looks like it’s worth the wait.

UFC: Khabib plans on taking Justin Gaethje to “The deepest ocean and drown him”

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There might not be a fighter more terrifying in the UFC than the lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmogomedov (28-0). When it comes to game plans, the Dagestan native makes it very clear what he plans on doing.

UFC commentator Joe Rogan posted a video on Instagram of interim champion, Justin Gaethje (22-2) training, and Nurmagomedov voiced his opinion about what will happen in a couple of months at UFC 254.

UFC 254 can’t come soon enough

The UFC has never seen a fighter like Nurmogomedov. He’s so dominant to the point that he doesn’t even appear to be human. He pushes forward and every opponent he’s faced has been taken down.

AKA teammate and former UFC heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier, talked about how strong Nurmogomedov is yesterday on his show with Ariel Helwani. Cormier talked about how it was hard for even him to get up when Khabib had him down.

“I’m a heavyweight, I should not feel like ‘This dude’s strong’ when a 55 pounder grabs me. I was on the bottom with him and I had to actually try to get up. I can only imagine what it’s like when a 55 pounder is under him,” Cormier said to Helwani.

The UFC interim lightweight champion, Gaethje, might be the best wrestler that Khabib has fought so far. Most (including myself) don’t feel that Gaethje will be able to keep Nurmagomedov off of him.

I think that even Gaethje knows at some point he will probably be taken down. The game plan for Gaethje has to be to keep it standing long enough to hurt/finish the UFC lightweight champion.

This fight is so fascinating and UFC 254 can’t come soon enough. Justin Gaethje presents the most dangerous challenge in the lightweight division for Nurmogomedov.

If Khabib can’t get through Gaethje, he will cement himself as the greatest lightweight to ever live. Then, if he gets his dream matchup with GSP following that win, he could cement himself as the greatest fighter of all time.