UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has issued a statement following Justin Gaehje’s TKO win over Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249.
Gaethje took Ferguson to the cleaners, picking him apart with big shots for nearly five full rounds until the referee stepped in and stopped the fight with just over a minute left in the final round. It was the biggest win of Gaethje’s UFC career to date and he now owns the interim UFC lightweight title. That means he has earned himself a chance to unify the belt against Nurmagomedov later this year.
Taking to social media after UFC 249, Nurmagomedov commented on the main event of UFC 249, posting a picture of himself with Gaethje in the background on his Twitter.
В этом спорте и особенно в этом весе всегда будут голодные львы, которые будут тебе дышат в спину, если ты расслабишься то тебе конец. Одни уходят и другие приходят, тут нечему удивляться.
Но я раньше выстрела не упаду. Мы ещё повоюем. pic.twitter.com/kxLWX8E8Ah— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) May 10, 2020
In this sport, and especially in this weight there will always be hungry lions that will breathe in your back, if you relax, then you will end. Some leave and others come, there is nothing to be surprised. But I won’t fall before the shot. We will still fight.
Nurmagomedov was supposed to fight Ferguson five times previously, and with Gaethje winning the fight we will likely never get to see that matchup. Instead, we will now get to see Nurmagomedov attempt to unify the lightweight belt against Gaethje. It seems likely this fight will take place sometime in the fall, but it’s possible the fight could happen in the summer if Gaethje is able to make a quick turnaround, and Nurmagomedov agrees to it.
Keep in mind that both Nurmagomedov and Gaethje are both managed by the same man, Ali Abdelaziz, which should make negotiations for a title unification bout a little bit easier given Abdelaziz has a vested interest in getting both men paid.
How excited are you to see Khabib Nurmagomedov fight Justin Gaethje?