Justin Gaethje hopes Charles Oliveira beats up Islam Makhachev at UFC 280 to become the lightweight champ again.
Gaethje is coming off a submission loss to Oliveira at UFC 274. ‘Do Bronx’ had narrowly missed weight for that contest and was thus stripped of the promotions 155lbs title.
He’s now set to face Makhachev for the vacant title in a highly-anticipated scrap and a fight many are torn on who will win.
According to Gaethje, he believes if Oliveira is going to win the fight he needs to not let Makhachev be on top of him on the ground.
“The main part of that statement is going to be Oliveira’s ability to not be submitted by Makhachev,” Gaethje said to LowKick MMA.
“If he doesn’t get submitted, then most likely, he’s on his back for three rounds or more. And Makhachev wins a decision. That’s what everyone if you know anything about this that’s what you think is supposed to happen. But if you just watch Kamaru’s fight then you know that this is the best sport in the world because anything can happen at any given moment.”
Although Justin Gaethje thinks Islam Makhachev does pose some problems for Charles Oliveira, he is rooting for the Brazilian to beat up Makhachev to become the champ again.
“I’m excited to watch it. I hope Oliveira beats him up. I hope Oliveira keeps it standing. I hope Oliveira gets on top of him,” Gaethje said. “It’d be cool to see all those things. We’ll see, we’ll see what happens.”
If Oliveira defeats Makhachev at UFC 280 as Gaethje hopes for, it’s uncertain what would be next for the Brazilian. He has made it known he wants to fight Conor McGregor as he has fought and beat Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and Michael Chandler.
What’s next for Justin Gaethje?
The American fighter Justin Gaethje has made it clear that he wants the UFC lightweight world championship. He has been a perennial top-contender for several years and is considered one of the most exciting fighters in MMA. But he still wants that UFC gold.
While speaking with LowKickMMA Gaethje said that he is two wins away from another shot at the title. He said:
“I only win one way and that’s the highlight fashion. I think it could be one [fight] depending on who. But most likely two ‘Justin Gaethje finishes’ and then I’m back in it. That’s the plan.”
Gaethje was a perfect 17-0 before making his UFC debut. The US-born athlete has gone 6-4 in the UFC with all of his losses being against current or former champions. He has also notably earned multiple ‘Fight of the Year‘ awards from many publications.