Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev went to war last Saturday, for the second time at UFC 313. Once again, ‘The Highlight’ emerged victorious despite failing to finish his opponent. This win, of course, lines up with Justin Gaethje’s title aspiration to which he wants to make one last run. And Dana White seems fine with that thought. However, there’s one man who isn’t happy with the Arizona native’s title aspirations. That man is someone who missed his shot at the lightweight title in January. We’re, of course, talking about Arman Tsarukyan.
From the perspective of the ‘Akhalkalakets,’ Gaethje snatched away his opportunity. In an interview with The Schmo, the Armenian fighter said, “So when Hooker pulled out they offered me that fight. I was the first one they called.”. Then the 28-year-old pointed out how Gaethje quietly hand-picked his opponent just to avoid a fight with him. Despite ‘Akhalkalakets’ claiming on X that he had accepted the fight right away, the catch was that he wanted it at a catchweight. To be fair to Gaethje, he had no obligation to agree to that, especially since he was already cutting down to 155 pounds.
On paper, this bout doesn’t seem bad. Dana White iterated the fact that Tsarukyan needs to earn his way back to the title. Why not have him fight the #3-ranked Gaethje for a title contender fight? It only makes sense. And former UFC and ONE flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson definitely wants to see these two men clash, as per his post on X: “They should do Justin vs Arman”.
They should do Justin vs Arman
— Demetrious Johnson (@MightyMouse) March 11, 2025
Apart from Max Holloway, Justin Gaethje is the only other fighter in the lightweight division’s current top 5 that hasn’t fought Islam Makhachev. For the lightweight champion, Gaethje seems like the perfect dance partner for his fifth title defense. So what will happen if these two eventually collide inside the Octagon? Well, the American Kickboxing Academy’s head coach gave us his thoughts.
Coach Mendez says Justin Gaethje vs Makhachev will be different than Khabib fight
Justin Gaethje has faced some outstanding fighters in the lightweight division but none tougher than Khabib Nurmagomedov. Gaethje held his own against ‘The Eagle’ in the opening round of their UFC 254 showdown in 2020. But it was in the second round, that the 29-0 fighter showed his mettle. He quickly took down ‘The Highlight’ and put him in a tight triangle choke, thus ending the fight.
However, Gaethje now wants a fight with the man who is the protegé of ‘The Eagle’. With the experience of facing the former champion, will he be able to counter his threat? Well, coach Mendez doesn’t quite think the same. He feels Makhachev has a lot of tools with which he can end the fight.
While speaking on the Submission Radio show, he pointed out how Islam Makhachev is a far better striker, which can cause a lot of trouble. He said, “It [a Makhachev vs. Gaethje fight] definitely in my opinion, would play out differently [than the Khabib vs. Gaethje fight] because they’re not the same fighter. They’re not the same fighter. Islam is more well-rounded than Khabib ever was, you know. So Islam is at the point where he’s pound-for-pound number one because he’s well-rounded in all the areas. Khabib was not as well-rounded as Islam is in the striking,”.
Well, it will be interesting to see if the fans get to witness the fight between these two fighters. Who do you think Justin Gaethje will fight next in his career? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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