"He still beat me" - Justin Gaethje shares brutal truth after Khabib Nurmagomedov praised this aspect of 'The Highlight'

2 hours ago 1

4AllThings Android App

Justin Gaethje recently shared his thoughts on Khabib Nurmagomedov lauding his striking power. Gaethje acknowledged Nurmagomedov's praise while pointing out that the Dagestani grappling savant still beat him.

Nurmagomedov and Gaethje went up against each other in a lightweight title fight at UFC 254 in October 2020. Despite Gaethje's best striking efforts, Nurmagomedov caught 'The Highlight' in a triangle choke and secured a second-round submission. This would mark Nurmagomedov's final outing in the UFC and he announced his retirement from the sport in his post-fight octagon interview.

Later, 'The Eagle' praised Gaethje for his striking prowess during an interview and claimed that the American was the hardest hitter he ever faced in the cage. In a recent interview, Gaethje reacted to Nurmagomedov's comments and said:

"I hit him really hard, I hit him really hard. I kicked him really hard. I hit him with a good right hand. Hearing Khabib say I hit the hardest doesn't feel that good because he still beat me. I still did not win the championship. I mean, it's cool."

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

When Justin Gaethje claimed Islam Makhachev would be "a better matchup" for him than Khabib Nurmagomedov

Earlier this year, Justin Gaethje explained his desire to face Islam Makhachev in a lightweight title fight. Gaethje also claimed that Makhachev would be a better matchup for him than Khabib Nurmagomedov and called 'The Eagle' his toughest opponent ever.

During a Q&A session on his YouTube channel, 'The Highlight' outlined his take on the matter and said:

"I want to fight Makhachev, he is the champ, and I do believe that he is a better matchup for me than Khabib. He's good... I think Khabib was probably the one that I felt even if I performed better, I'm not sure that if I could've beaten him that night specifically. That night that I fought Khabib, I would say he is my toughest opponent to date."

Why did you not like this content?

Clickbait / Misleading
Factually Incorrect
Hateful or Abusive
Baseless Opinion
Too Many Ads
Other

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

About the author

Nishant Zende.

Nishant brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his MMA reporting for Sportskeeda. During his 1.5 years with the organization and previous work, Nishant has established himself as a prolific writer in the MMA community. With a Bachelor's degree in Media and Journalism and a Master's degree in International Relations, Nishant's educational background enhances his analytical and reporting skills.

Nishant admires UFC legend Georges St-Pierre for his dominance and exemplary conduct inside and outside the cage. The monumental UFC 229 event, headlined by a grudge match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, captivated Nishant and solidified his passion for MMA.

Nishant focuses on delivering high-quality content by giving attention to detail, and rigorous fact-checking via multiple layers. His dedication is evident in his achievement of publishing over 1.7K articles and accumulating 4.4 million reads in less than two years.

Nishant feels that it is only a matter of time that MMA takes over Boxing as the no.1 combat sport. Beyond MMA, his interests include philosophy, music exploration, and wildlife photography.

Know More

Edited by Nishant Zende.

Read Entire Article