Gaethje believes he’s ready to conquer lightweight king Khabib

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

After upsetting Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson to take the UFC interim lightweight title, Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje believes he is now ready to take down the king of the division.

Gaethje looked like a different beast inside the octagon after scoring a Round 5 TKO against the heavy favorite Ferguson with a thundering left hand which made referee Herb Dean jump over the action and halt the fight.

Mixing his offensive approach, Gaethje’s camp perfectly mapped out their game plan which caught Ferguson off guard by not letting him setup his striking game and putting him in uncomfortable situations where he can’t easily engage and pick spots.

With Gaethje taking down the tagged number one threat to current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s legacy, he is certain that he is ready to face the Russian belt-holder.

“I can’t wait to face the challenge from Khabib. This is why we’re here. He owes it to me to try to kill me and I’m gonna do the same,” Gaethje said.

Holding a record of 22-2, Gaethje said he has learned the ways of winning after suffering defeats from Dustin Poirier and Eddie Alvarez which he thinks will help him snatch the lightweight belt from Khabib.

“I became complacent. I started having too much fun. I didn’t worry about getting hit and then they hit me in the right spot at the right time. I had to make an adjustment and I can’t let that happen anymore,” Gaethje added.