Justin Gaethje hopes he gets the opportunity to challenge UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) will look to re-enter the title picture when he takes on Dan Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC) in a five-round lightweight co-main event (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) March 8 at UFC 313 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Gaethje, a former interim lightweight champion, fell short twice in his pursuit for undisputed gold – suffering submission losses to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254 and Charles Oliveira at UFC 274.
Makhachev has defended his lightweight title a division-record four times and already holds wins over top-ranked contenders Arman Tsarukyan, Oliveira and Dustin Poirier. However, he’s yet to fight Gaethje.
“I want to fight Makhachev, he is the champ, and I do believe that he is a better matchup for me than Khabib,” Gaethje said during a Q&A on his YouTube channel. “But he’s good.”
Although Gaethje was one of few fighters to ever win a round against Nurmagomedov, he’s not confident that he could have beaten that version of “The Eagle.”
“I think Khabib was probably the one that I felt even if I performed better, I’m not sure that if I could’ve beaten him that night specifically,” Gaethje said. “That night that I fought Khabib, I would say he is my toughest opponent to date.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.
