UFC 254: Khabib Nurmagomedov on his way to ‘greatest of all time’ status if he beats Justin Gaethje

Khabib Nurmagomedov is preparing to "go all night" to wear down Justin Gaethje when the pair meet in Abu Dhabi this weekend, with Dana White saying victory will lift the lightweight champion to the UFC’s No 1 pound-for-pound fighter and towards ‘greatest of all time’ status.

Nurmagomedov, 28-0, meets interim title-holder Gaethje at the top of the bill at UFC 254 in the capital on Saturday, which concludes “Return to Fight Island”.

The fighters faced-off for the first time on Wednesday evening following a press conference on Yas Beach, with Gaethje discarding his interim belt to say he wanted only Nurmagomedov’s gold instead.

The Russian had earlier said his supreme ground game will eventually see off Gaethje, despite him being a former NCAA Division I All American wrestler. The Arizona native, 22-2, set up his shot at the title by defeating Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 in May.

“He’s finished a lot of opponents, a lot of great guys,” said Nurmagomedov, who has not competed since his successful defence against Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi 13 months ago.

“He was a great champion in another organisation before the UFC; right now he’s the interim champ in the UFC; he beat Tony Ferguson. To beat a guy like Justin Gaethje is going to be big for my legacy.

“He’s a very tough guy, he knows how to wrestle, how to kick, how to punch. He’s a complete MMA fighter, a very big name.

“I know he knows how to wrestle, but what about wrestling for 25 minutes? If I’m going to try and take him down once and his defence is good, I’m going to go all night. This is the big difference between US wrestling and Dagestan wrestling.”

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UFC 254: Khabib and Gaethje face-off

Khabib Nurmagomedov, left, and Justin Gaethje, right, take part in their pre-fight face-off at Yas Beach ahead of what is shaping up to be “the biggest fight we’ve ever done”, according to UFC President Dana White. All photos courtesy of UFC
Justin Gaethje answers questions.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje face off.
Khabib Nurmagomedov answers a reporter's question.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje face off with UFC President Dana White in the middle.

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Asked how he would handle Gaethje’s explosive stand-up, Nurmagomedov said: “He has dynamite in his hands, a very good kick. They’re all good when they stand up, but when I grab them it changes a little bit.

"More than Dustin and Conor [McGregor, whom Nurmagomedov defeated in 2018] and other guys, he knows how to wrestle. It’s going to be a little bit hard. But I've prepared myself to try to take him down 100 times. It’s going to be very interesting Saturday night.”

Gaethje, though, is convinced he will showcase his own talent once the two step into the octagon at Flash Forum.

“I know he’s ultimately confident in what he does – he’s done it 28 times,” he said. “I expect him to believe that’s going to happen; I’ve been telling myself that’s going to happen. That’s what drives me every single day.

“I’m a performer, I always show up under the lights. That’s what I do. I’ve been doing this as long as he has; this is engrained in us. And on Saturday night, I will leave everything, give everything and be proud in my performance."

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UFC 249 gallery: Gaethje beats Ferguson

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Gaethje added: “I will not allow him to put me on the fence. And if I do then I’m screwed. My game plan is, if he wants to grapple, let’s grapple in the middle. I’ve said it 1,000 times: I cause damage. I have dense bones, and I’m going to kick his legs. That’s where it’s going to start and then we’re going to move on from there.”

Hugely popular in the UAE – he has called the Emirates his second home – Nurmagomedov acknowledged fighting in Abu Dhabi brings with it extra pressure, saying: “Of course, it’s a little bit difficult. It’s always difficult when you fight, cut weight, have so much pressure on your shoulders. It’s never easy.

“Right now it’s a special time for me, fighting here in Abu Dhabi with all this pandemic stuff, without crowds, without fans.”

On whom he wants to face next if he defeats Gaethje, Nurmagomedov said: “Honestly, I don’t like this word ‘if’. You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. I’m focused on Justin Gaethje on Saturday night.

"What the UFC have after Saturday night you have to ask this guy [White], because he calls us and then we talk about fights. What’s going to happen after I don’t know. Right now I’m focused on Justin Gaethje.”

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UFC 242 gallery: Khabib beats Poirier

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UFC president White said Saturday's event is on track to break the record for pay-per-view buys. The promotion's reported high is 2.4 million.

"Khabib is one of the biggest stars in all of sports, not just the UFC," White said. "And what makes this fight so big is people believe [Gaethje] has the style to beat him.

"You have all the ingredients for a massive fight: you have a big superstar and a kid who’s coming off an incredible win over a highly respected fighter.

“Khabib is looking down the barrel of, not only the greatest ever in this division to do it, but if he beats Justin on Saturday, he’s the No 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and he’s on his way to ‘GOAT’ status.

“He doesn’t say ‘if’, how long he’s going to stay around and how many more he’s going to do. But it’s pretty impressive what this guy has done.”

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UFC 254: Khabib Nurmagomedov on his way to ‘greatest of all time’ status if he beats Justin Gaethje

Undefeated Dagestan lightweight champion says he is going to wrestle his opponent to defeat in Abu Dhabi

UFC 254: Khabib and Gaethje face-off

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