Justin Gaethje has been one of the most prominent UFC athletes in recent times. Despite having established himself as a dominant fighter, he has one big regret in his career. When Gaethje faced off with ‘The Eagle’ back in UFC 254, the expectations were that the fight would be a banger. However, just a couple of rounds into the bout, Nurmagomedov wove his magic and submitted Gaethje. And he still remembers the loss to this day.
Citing the Dagestani as his toughest fight to date, Gaethje recently named a surprising opponent as his dream opponent. He stated that a fight between him and Makhachev was the one that he had been longing for.
Speaking on the topic Gaethje opined, “[Islam] is the champ, and I do believe that is a better matchup for me than Khabib.”
Justin Gaethje says Khabib is the toughest opponent he’s ever faced, and his dream fight is against Islam Makhachev 👀
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 17, 2025
“[Islam] is the champ, and I do believe that is a better matchup for me than Khabib.”
🎥 @Justin_Gaethje #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/NvMALCtqE4
Surely, a possible matchup with Islam Makhachev would have been a great sight for the fight fans. However, a different challenger is threatening to take the lightweight crown of Makhachev at the moment.
Ilia Topuria Issues Stern Warning For Islam Makhachev
UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has been wanting to fight for a second belt for a long time. And the one fight that he is eager to make official is with that of Islam Makhachev. Over the recent period, Topuria has been constantly raising the heat and has urged Makhachev to take the fight. In a recent statement, ’El Matador’ has even accused the lightweight champion of being ‘afraid.’
“He’s afraid. Of course he’s afraid… as usual, it’s an easy fight until they put your name on the contract. We all know, if it were that easy and if I’m small as he says, he would already share the octagon with me,” Topuria said recently.
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Ilia Topuria says Islam Makhachev is afraid to fight him 😳
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 15, 2025
"He's afraid. Of course he's afraid… as usual, it's an easy fight until they put your name on the contract.
We all know, if it were that easy and if I'm small as he says, he would already share the octagon with me."… pic.twitter.com/AG3Z8KjnfY
Thus, it is now evident that Islam Makhachev is garnering a lot of attention at the moment. Having established himself as the lightweight king, it remains to be seen what fight gets assigned to him next.
Also Read: Islam Makhachev Shuts Down Ilia Topuria Fight Talks: ‘I’m Not Going To Give Him A Chance’
