UFC star Justin Gaethje has admitted that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to get another UFC title shot after losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Ever since he first stepped foot in the UFC, Justin Gaethje has been one of the promotion’s most entertaining fighters. From a solid early run to notable setbacks to a four-fight winning streak, Gaethje has always known how to grab the attention of the masses.
Back at UFC 254 in 2020, ‘The Highlight’ had earned the right to challenge the great Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight championship. Despite having some early success with leg kicks, Gaethje simply couldn’t stay away from ‘The Eagle’ and was ultimately submitted in the second round.
It was a pretty devastating loss for the 33-year-old and in an episode of UFC Countdown, he explained just how much it impacted him.
“My last [title] fight did not go as planned, but it was a great learning experience.
“I wasn’t sure if I’d ever fight for a belt again but I knew I had to get back in there.”
Upon returning to the cage at UFC 268, Gaethje managed to defeat Michael Chandler via unanimous decision in one of the greatest lightweight fights in UFC history.
Back at the top
The aforementioned win over Michael Chandler was more than enough to prove that Gaethje deserved another crack at the gold. Therefore, in the wake of Charles Oliveira’s victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 269, UFC president Dana White immediately noted that Oliveira vs Gaethje was probably going to be next.
After months of waiting, we’re now less than one week away from seeing these sensational athletes square off at UFC 274.
Oliveira is being viewed as the favourite following his recent run of success, but one thing we know to be true about the champ is that he’s vulnerable to big shots.
Poirier and Chandler have both been able to hurt him in his most recent outings and with Gaethje adding precision to his power, there’s every chance the challenger could cause an upset.
Either way, we’re in for an absolute belter on Saturday night in Phoenix.