Does Justin Gaethje have a good chance in beating either Islam or Oliveira?

[Takes Two To Tango]

Since he already fought Oliveira and lost. I still think a controlled chaos Gaethje can win that fight. He proved he can win rematches with Poirier, I think he can pull off some magic against Charles. Although I'll be rooting for Oliveira.

I also think he can give unique problems to Islam if they do ever fight. Although stylistically it's a terrible match up for Gaethje.

What do you guys think of Gaethje chances against these two?

 

[RockyLockridge]

He has great chances with Charles less so with Islam

not to say he can’t or doesn’t beat Islam, more that Islam wins more than 5/10 times Gaethje would need fortune on his side

 

[biscuitsbrah]

He always has a chance. He’d still be a dog but I think he would do better in an Oliveira rematch. Also do better against Islam than he did against Khabib

 

[Kung Fu Kowboy]

He can knock out or be finished by both... and I'll watch cause Gaethje is never in a boring fight.

 

[Koala]

The guy has now Jorge Santiago in his corner
I never noticed him and I have no idea why having a BJJ specialist in your corner vs Poirier
But it could be helpful in the future given that the two top LWs are grapplers

 

[ChimRichalds]

I don't think he beats either guy, but I think he's got a better chance against Charles. Gaethje has a chance to put Islam out, considering how patient Islam fights, but I'd pick Islam to win inside the distance.

 

[BearGrounds]

IDK how Islam doesn't get the TD. If Khabib can eat a low kick and snag him up that easily, it makes Gaethje's main setup strike a liability.

Gaethje would need to finish with strikes (hands, primarily) during whatever moments he's allowed to operate on the feet, after that he's probably going to get grinded to dust.

Tough matchup for him, but I don't care for the Charles rematch all that much (However, I think he does have better chances against Charles). At least Gaethje vs Islam is a fresh matchup.

 

[Busgosu]

 

[Lavitz]

He has a chance on the feet.

If it hits the ground, he’s pretty much done.

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

He has a good chance to beat Charles in a rematch, a lot worse fighters have beat Charles, he has improved but still gets hit flush constantly

Islam will be much more difficult though, because its gonna be a grappling match, with limited striking.

 

[richardjohnson]

Gaethje causes too much damage to count him out of any fight but he got dropped and choked out by Oliveira and I believe Charles is just the more skilled fighter.

I think Islam would likely beat him as well but I don’t think he’d have as much success on the feet as Oliveira did

 

[BearGrounds]

Lead hand counter hook is where it's at. Good strike to have in your arsenal against a grappler (even though Islam wasn't shooting here, there may have been a clinch entry attempt coming). Having a strong lead hand game can keep a grappler off of you, as you can use it as a shove/stiff arm or parry to stuff the shot, while always keeping a hook hidden behind it.

 

[Rektkid]

He always has a chance but is he gonna allow them to rest on the ground and call them up if he drops them? Is he gonna strike freely with little fear of takedowns like he does against strikers? If the answer is no then he has to try to shut their lights out before they get a hold of him.

 

[Tweak896]

Neither Olivera/Gaethje have a chance against Islam. If Islam's next 3 fights are Olivera/Gaethje/Volk we will know really nothing about Islam. Olivera and Gaethje probably have a chance against each other and it's a coinflip.

 

[BJJ4Tone]

I don't think he beats either guy, but I think he's got a better chance against Charles. Gaethje has a chance to put Islam out, considering how patient Islam fights, but I'd pick Islam to win inside the distance.

This.
Of course Gaethje CAN beat either guy, but I wouldn't favor him against either.
But better chance against Charles than Islam. Charles is all offense and still has big defensive deficiencies.
Islam is too careful and measured now. He's gonna fight smart and be strategic.
I think the loss to Pantoja *wink* was the best thing that ever happened to him.

 

[fortheo]

He has a better chance than Poirier did at least lol. I'm interested to see how much justin's grappling has actually improved since we haven't seen much of it since the khabib fight. He finally started attending bjj classes a couple years ago. I realize Oliveira subbed him, but that was after rocking him silly and oliveira is the best submission artist we've ever seen. Gaethje with better sub defense could put up a decent fight, but will his cardio hold up while defensively grappling? I don't know, and I'm not sure I buy that his cardio will be better because he got his nose fixed.

I'd favor Islam and Charles over him still, but I am very interested in seeing gaethje fight them.

 

[BJJ4Tone]

 

[fortheo]

The guy has now Jorge Santiago in his corner
I never noticed him and I have no idea why having a BJJ specialist in your corner vs Poirier
But it could be helpful in the future given that the two top LWs are grapplers

Because gaethje has finally started taking bjj seriously these past few years, which is the only reason why I'm slightly interested in seeing how he'll do against Islam. Still favor islam and Oliveira, though.

 

[Busgosu]

 

[DOMMA]

Gaethje is the most deserving contender and as actually earned a title rematch - unusual for the UFC. I think he is a 60 - 40 underdog in both fights but has a reasonable chance (40%) to win both. He clearly is the hardest striker in the division, he is athletic, and has refined his style and now fights without being so damn reckless.

He actually showed some lateral movement last night, old Gaethje only moved one direction....