Ahead of his blockbuster showdown with Khabib Nurmagomedov, UFC superstar Justin Gaethje shares his plans for the fight, what motivates him, how he used to compete without vision, and much more in an exclusive chat.
How have your preparations been for the big fight on Saturday? In your last bout, you registered a dominant victory against Tony Ferguson. Would you say that physically as well as psychologically, you are close to being at your best?
Yes, I believe I am leaner and stronger than I have ever been. I’m in great shape, I’m in the best shape that I will ever be in. After the Tony fight, I knew what was ahead, so I got back to work right away...It happened by chance, but I had two of the best wrestlers in the US come in [and train with me] for at least four weeks.
Many people see you as the most entertaining fighter in UFC, but now that you are contending for a title (the UFC Lightweight Championship), does that make you reconsider your approach? Or is providing entertainment still your number one priority, even more than winning?
It’s well documented that I made a decision after I got knocked out twice in a row...Even to the untrained eye, I hope you can understand that I have made a big change in my last four fights, since those losses...I am fighting the best guys in the world, and this [Khabib] is the best guy in the world. I have to be perfect. In world championship fights, whoever makes a mistake first will lose.
We are all aware that Khabib is unbeaten in the UFC, with an incredible 28-0 record till date. A lot of UFC followers believe that you will be his toughest challenge yet. But do you think there is more pressure on him than there is on you because he has to preserve his undefeated streak?
Yeah, I mean I was on 18-0 when I took my first loss. It was different...it becomes hard to grow [when you are not beaten] because it is hard to change what is not broken. Khabib has a plan, but one day that plan won’t work. And then he’s got to go back to the drawing board and come up with a different plan. But right now, he has one plan. So we’ll see what happens.
Let’s get to strategy now. You are adept at knockout finishes with your striking and kicking abilities. Is that something you have in mind for this fight as well, to get at Khabib in the early running, knock him out, and finish the match as soon as possible?
I don’t need it to end fast, I just need to turn his lights off, whether that’s the first punch or the 92nd punch, I don’t care. But the first punch [knockout] would be preferred, if I got to be honest!
We have seen how Khabib pushes his opponents towards the cage during matches and wears them out. Will you be looking to stay away from the cage and steer the fight towards the centre of the octagon?
Yes, I will do absolutely everything I can to stay off the cage. I will use my athleticism and my boxing footwork technique to create angles, to cause damage.
Now, maybe some fans are not aware of this, but you actually have a very impressive wrestling background too, apart from all your MMA attributes. Khabib is renowned for his mat wrestling and grappling. So, how much of a role do you think your wrestling experience will play in this contest?
I think it’s everything. Everybody says they are bringing something new [when fighting Khabib] that he has never faced. I can guarantee that nobody he has faced has wrestled as much as I have. He has probably done much better over the last four or five years to stay on top of his wrestling, whereas I have used that time to learn how to use my athletic ability to punch and kick people. That’s a huge part of the sport, and it intrigues me more than the wrestling or the grappling part.
Earlier this week, Khabib came out with a message of his own, asking you to be “ready” and effectively warning you that what awaits Saturday is unlike what you have faced before. Do you think he’s showing signs of arrogance or complacency?
Maybe. Confidence is the most important factor, [but] false confidence can be the biggest downfall for an athlete. Him, his coach Javier [Mendez].... Javier is definitely arrogant. He’s never put respect to my name. I am going to walk over to him after I knock Khabib out, and ask him if he’s cocky. That’s the plan!
Khabib is rated by many as being the best pound-for-pound athlete in the UFC today. Do you think by beating him you can claim to acquire the moniker of being the best there is? Is that something that fuels you or is it something you don’t really worry about?
That’s absolutely important to me. That’s the reason I started this and continue to do this. At first, I wanted to be the best in the world. And now, I have a chance to be the best in the world. That’s been the driving factor since day one. At every wrestling tournament, I wanted to take first place. If I was just in the finals, it wasn’t a good day.
Tell us about your problems with vision early in your career, because until you had a surgery in 2016, you could not see your opponents properly and had to make contact with them to know exactly where they were. So how did you manage to fight without proper vision during those days?
So, I was near-sighted in one year and far-sighted in the other. I assumed that it messed with my depth perception...We are talking about fractions of seconds and millimetres...or inches. So it [vision] is super important. It’s great to be able to see what I am doing. It’s definitely taking me some time to make that adjustment. Before I was able to really use my vision, I used to constantly have my hand on the heads of my opponents, because that’s how I used to find the distance!
Who have been your inspirations or idols in MMA, or maybe from other sports, that you have looked up to?
No, I wouldn’t say [I idolised] any athletes. My dad is definitely one of the guys I like to [look up to]. He is respected by all. Everybody he’s met respects him, everybody he’s worked with respects him. And that’s my goal. I know how much respect I have within the fighting community, and I am very proud of that.
Finally, ahead of your mega fight, do you have any message for your legions of fans back in India who will be rooting for you?
Enjoy the show...You know what you get with me. I go to sleep when he [Khabib] goes to sleep. That’s the name of the game, that’ll be the name of the game on Saturday. But thank you, if you support me and are a fan, I really appreciate that. It’s awesome to be able to inspire people from around the world. I’m from a small place [Safford, Arizona], I never thought I’d be able to reach out to people from places like India or anywhere. It’s really a great experience and I definitely appreciate all the support.
Watch UFC 254, featuring Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje, on October 24, 2020 live and exclusive on Sony Ten 1, Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 3 (Hindi) channels from 11:30 pm IST
UFC 254: Khabib versus Gaethje: Tale of the Tape
Venue: Flash Forum Arena, Abu Dhabi
Justin Gaethje Sourced by the Telegraph
Justin Gaethje (The Highlight)
Age: 31
Country: USA
Height: 5ft 11in
Weight: 70kg
Reach: 70in
Strikes per minute: 7.74
Defence: 54%
Average fight time: 10 mins 11 secs
Strengths: Striking, kicking, knockouts
UFC Win/Loss: 22/2
Khabib Nurmagomedov Sourced by the Telegraph
Khabib Nurmagomedov (The Eagle)
Age: 32
Country: Russia
Height: 5ft 10in
Weight: 70kg
Reach: 70in
Strikes per minute: 4.29
Defence: 66%
Average fight time: 13 mins 56 secs
Strengths: Grappling, takedowns, submissions
UFC Win/Loss: 28/0
