Two things happened in 2024 that nearly killed Justin Gaethje‘s title dreams. One – his UFC 300 KO loss to Max Holloway. Two – Max Holloway’s UFC 308 KO loss to Ilia Topuria. The irony, right? So, now we have Ilia Topuria in the lightweight equation when Gaethje is trying to claw his way back into the title picture at UFC 313. What does ‘The Highlight’ think of this deliciously complex scenario?
During the UFC 313 media day, a reporter asked Gaethje for his views on Topuria’s move to the LW division. Gaethje, being a fan of the Spaniard said, “Yeah, I think he’s a fighter, you know. Especially with the confidence that he has right now with those wins over Max and Volkanovski. I think, you know, confidence is the biggest factor when you step in there. You have to believe in yourself, first and foremost. And so yeah, I think [he] just made the most exciting weight class in the sport a little bit more exciting.”
Ever since Ilia Topuria vacated his featherweight championship throne to fight as a lightweight prospect, the LW realm has been booming with a single question. Will ‘El Matador’ jump over the top 5 lightweight contenders and get a fight against Islam Makhachev for the championship title? Arman Tsarukyan was previously set to fight Makhachev at UFC 311, but pulling out of the fight at the last moment because of a back injury pushed him out of the immediate title picture. For now, fight fans believe that the winner of the fight between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev will get closer to the title picture. But how true is that?
Does that little bit of extra excitement put Topuria ahead of ‘The Highlight’ in the race for the title? Gaethje wasn’t so sure about that. He opined, “I don’t know. Haven’t thought about it. Doesn’t matter. Again, that’s one of the things I can’t control. So, I’m not gonna put a lot of thought and energy into that.”
While Gaethje had no comments on Topuria’s LW title shot, Islam Makhachev, although finally agreed to fight Ilia Topuria, initially wasn’t a big fan of going against him. The Spaniard had been calling out the Dagestani champ for quite a while now. And Makhachev was adamant on his take. He simply wanted ‘El Matador’ to prove himself worthy of a fight against the lightweight champion. So who does Makhachev believe would be a better opponent? It’s none other than ‘The Highlight’.
Islam Makhachev sidelines Ilia Topuria to fight Justin Gaethje
Makhachev, in a recent interview with Ushatayka, said, “I like this idea because I haven’t fought Justin yet.” He pointed out that he had already competed and won against Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan. Fighting the same opponents who had already fallen against him were no motivation for the champion. However, Gaethje was a completely different story. A fight against ‘The Highlight’ seemed to excite the Dagestani champion.
Justin Gaethje was also in support of the matchup. After all, he has been fighting to become a champion. During a conversation with TMZ Sports, he said, “I mean that’d [a big finish] be ideal. I really want to, you know, have a great performance and really put some pressure on the UFC to allow me to fight Makhachev next. And I think, you know, an outstanding performance and a finish is something that puts me in that position. They obviously know that, you know, we’re only in this position because Dan Hooker broke his hand.”
Gaethje declared he’d do everything needed to get the matchup against Makhachev. But first, he must rise victorious over Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313. The Azerbaijani fighter is a pretty dangerous man inside the Octagon. With 12 wins and 3 defeats, Fiziev has a chance of defeating Gaethje. And the former interim champion was well aware of that fact. All we need to do now, is wait for Saturday night to see if Gaethje can actually secure a fight against Makhachev.
What are your thoughts on the bout between Gaethje and Islam Makhachev? Do you think Gaethje should precede Topuria in the race for the lightweight championship title? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
The post Justin Gaethje Breaks Silence on Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev as Ex-UFC Champ Given Verdict on LW Future appeared first on EssentiallySports.