UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is making sure his fans are well acquainted with his next opponent, Justin Gaethje.
At this stage, most fight fans who haven’t been living under rocks are very familiar with Gaethje, who might just be the most exciting fighter in the game at present.
Nurmagomedov, however, seemingly wants to make sure all 20 million of his Instagram followers are familiar with the berserker who will provide his next title challenge.
Early on Thursday morning, Nurmagomedov shared a Justin Gaethje highlight reel to his official Instagram page.
“My next opponent,” he wrote in the caption for his post.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is currently 28-0 as a professional mixed martial artist. He captured the UFC lightweight title in early 2018, when he defeated last-minute replacement opponent Al Iaquinta by decision in a fight for the vacant throne. Since then, he’s defended the title twice: first with a submission of Conor McGregor in late 2018, then with a submission of Dustin Poirier in September, 2019. Other highlights of his record include wins over top-flight foes like Rafael dos Anjos, Michael Johnson and Edson Barboza.
Nurmagomedov was expected to defend his title against Tony Ferguson in April, but ended up getting stranded in his native Russia due to travel restrictions associated with the coronavirus pandemic. When Nurmagomedov was unable to fight Ferguson, Justin Gaethje got the call to fight Ferguson in an interim lightweight title fight.
That Gaethje vs. Ferguson fight ended up happening in May. In a noteworthy upset, Gaethje won by fifth-round TKO to capture, claiming the interim title and setting himself up for a blockbuster title unification fight with Nurmagomedov.
This anticipated Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje fight is not yet official, but a recent report suggests it will happen at UFC 253 in September.
Who do you think will win when Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje square off fort the UFC lightweight title?