Justin Gaethje's wrestling ability - Khabib untested?

[GSP Rush]

It will happen, but Justin is a superb wrestler and controls his fights. He gets careless in the 'take a shot to give one' but I don't see how his gameplan wont change for such a high profile fight.

Exactly!!! This is what people need to realise.

His approach would be completely different towards this fight.

 

[Deadwing88]

I don't think anyone has said he'll smoke Khabib by any means and it would be a silly comment to make if they did.

But again, if Gaethje this fight was to be booked Gaethje's approach, camp and training would be completely different for this fight.

I'm not sure if you read the OP but it explains all this before hand and if Gaethje doesn't get a chance at Khabib somethings not right because they need to book Khabib in fights like this.

Maybe, if Gaethje actually beat a top 5 opponent he would get a shot Vs Khabib..
Let's not ignore the fact, Alvarez and Poirer finished him.

 

[GSP Rush]

In terms of his overall wrestling ability, this is the only time from my recollection, that he has actually shot for a TD in the UFC..

Yeah, which he's not trained for this fight the same way he would Khabib. I think that was just something he did on a whim too to be honest so probably isn't a good example to reflect on but yeah, it would be completely different in regards to Khabib for sure.

Again, it's just one of those fights that needs to happen. I mean, we can forever book fights for Khabib the way he has but when there's things like this out there there's no reason why these fights should be avoided, if anything they should be booked more than anything.

 

[kingmob6]

I don't think anyone has said he'll smoke Khabib by any means and it would be a silly comment to make if they did.

But again, if Gaethje this fight was to be booked Gaethje's approach, camp and training would be completely different for this fight.

I'm not sure if you read the OP but it explains all this before hand and if Gaethje doesn't get a chance at Khabib somethings not right because they need to book Khabib in fights like this.

You don't have to go very far, there are people in this thread saying he would smoke Khabib, silly statements are thrown around all over these type of threads. Khabib has no incentive to fight Gaethje, he is looking for higher caliber fights and potentially has only a few fights left. Gaethje just doesn't have the resume or the reputation yet for this fight to be something that Khabib would want to schedule. Just fighters at different stages of the career at this point. Also, they are managed by the same team, so will play a factor.

 

[GSP Rush]

Maybe, if Gaethje actually beat a top 5 opponent he would get a shot Vs Khabib..
Let's not ignore the fact, Alvarez and Poirer finished him.

Yeah but I'm sure you know as much as the next man MMA math never works like that, cause A beat B and C beat A etc.. however again, I'm not saying the things you've mentioned aren't valid (I think they really are and is part of the reason why I feel this fight needs to happen also) but he would be training and approaching a fight with Khabib completely different to how he did with those fights because he would have to and this is what's really important in regards to this.

 

[Deadwing88]

Yeah but I'm sure you know as much as the next man MMA math never works like that, cause A beat B and C beat A etc.. however again, I'm not saying the things you've mentioned aren't valid (I think they really are and is part of the reason why I feel this fight needs to happen also) but he would be training and approaching a fight with Khabib completely different to how he did with those fights because he would have to and this is what's really important in regards to this.

I'm not using MMA math..
As I've said, for Gaethje to actually have a chance to face Khabib, he first needs to beat a top ranked opponent. He has failed to do so..
You keep going on like the fight needs to happen, atm Gaethje doesn't deserve it.

 

[GSP Rush]

You don't have to go very far, there are people in this thread saying he would smoke Khabib, silly statements are thrown around all over these type of threads. Khabib has no incentive to fight Gaethje, he is looking for higher caliber fights and potentially has only a few fights left. Gaethje just doesn't have the resume or the reputation yet for this fight to be something that Khabib would want to schedule. Just fighters at different stages of the career at this point. Also, they are managed by the same team, so will play a factor.

Yeah, he wouldn't smoke Khabib by any means but the fight does need to happen.

For me personally if the fight doesn't happen it's like they're avoiding something, he's always booked in the same old kinda fights (or similar at least) where he's pretty much guaranteed or favoured at least to win the fight more than others, now if they continued to book him a few fights like this and he was to dominate and win the fights the same way he has his other fights then he could absolutely be among the greatest of all time conversations because he would have dominated all angles but as of now, he's yet to do that (and that's not to say that he wouldn't but it's something I would like to see).

I'm not saying the UFC are protecting him but it's a little like that at the moment, they're forever giving him guaranteed (or favourable) fights and we know how they're going to go.

I know the options may be limited and I get that but test the dude, give him someone like Gaethje, Askren or Gillespie.

 

[Iron Skin]

If Poirier can take Gaethje down, i'm sure Khabib also can.

 

[GSP Rush]

I'm not using MMA math..
As I've said, for Gaethje to actually have a chance to face Khabib, he first needs to beat a top ranked opponent. He has failed to do so..
You keep going on like the fight needs to happen, atm Gaethje doesn't deserve it.

Because it does, as mentioned in my last reply here as to why, these are the fights that are gonna challenge him.

Forget rankings and all that shit, he needs to be tested in these kind of fights. He's forever given the same or similar kind of fights that are more times than not going to favour him.

Test the dude, give him some of these fights.

 

[GSP Rush]

If Poirier can take Gaethje down, i'm sure Khabib also can.

He wouldn't be approaching the fight with Khabib the same way he did with Poirier.

He would also be training for a while completely different for a fight with Khabib than he would with Poirier.

Comparing those two things in two completely different fights, I highly doubt he was training for an elite wrestling match with Poirier the same way he would have to when it comes to Khabib.

 

[Deadwing88]

Because it does, as mentioned in my last reply here as to why, these are the fights that are gonna challenge him.

Forget rankings and all that shit, he needs to be tested in these kind of fights. He's forever given the same or similar kind of fights that are more times than not going to favour him.

Test the dude, give him some of these fights.

So, you think for example, RDA, Barboza and McGregor are not challenging fights. Two former champs and a guy who had 87% TDD at the time Khabib faced him..

 

[Taric]

Gaethje has literally never scored a takedown inside the UFC, and he has been taken down by both Eddie Alvarez and Michael Johnson.
In what universe is Justin Gaethje the measurement for wrestling inside the Octagon?

 

[Deadwing88]

He wouldn't be approaching the fight with Khabib the same way he did with Poirier.

He would also be training for a while completely different for a fight with Khabib than he would with Poirier.

Comparing those two things in two completely different fights, I highly doubt he was training for an elite wrestling match with Poirier the same way he would have to when it comes to Khabib.

Gaethje goes into every fight, to brawl. No deviation from that gameplan.. It's baffling as the guy possesses this mythical 'D1 wrestling', that people go on about, but never uses it..

 

[Van_Damage]

Maybe, if Gaethje actually beat a top 5 opponent he would get a shot Vs Khabib..
Let's not ignore the fact, Alvarez and Poirer finished him.

Gaethje goes into every fight, to brawl. No deviation from that gameplan.. It's baffling as the guy possesses this mythical 'D1 wrestling', that people go on about, but never uses it..

He uses it as defensive wrestling, clearly.

 

[Deadwing88]

He uses it as defensive wrestling, clearly.

When has he faced a opponent who has actively tried to take him down ?

 

[Van_Damage]

He wouldn't be approaching the fight with Khabib the same way he did with Poirier.

He would also be training for a while completely different for a fight with Khabib than he would with Poirier.

Comparing those two things in two completely different fights, I highly doubt he was training for an elite wrestling match with Poirier the same way he would have to when it comes to Khabib.

Of course, even when Justin has said he will start using more wrestling, it hasn't happened. I can't imagine he's hard headed enough (ok, well, wrong choice of words), to not come in with different tactics. He will improve he's not stagnant.

 

[Van_Damage]

When has he faced a opponent who has actively tried to take him down ?

Not the absolute that matters, but without spending time looking, I'm sure there have been plenty of examples. He can scramble and has unorthodox attacks

 

[HHJ]

Khabib's first UFC opponent was a tough wrestler

He ragdolls all the AKA gym wrestlers in training

Khabib's kryptonite being another wrestler is a meme that needs to die.

Daniel Cormier is his wrestling coach,thats the dude he is rolling w probably. I think hell be ok.

 

[Deadwing88]

Not the absolute that matters, but without spending time looking, I'm sure there have been plenty of examples. He can scramble and has unorthodox attacks

Show me a example, where a elite grappler has tried to implement a TD heavy gameplan against him. You can't..

 

[Van_Damage]

And you can't assume that Justin will fold when he faces an elite grappler, unless you just assume he will be put on his back consistently, and to keep them there, but go for it. Maybe he is indeed untested to fight anyone close to Kabib caliber takedown/pressure, but you can say that about most fight match ups. Nobody ever faces a replica of someone else.

Sure, Justin hasn't fought an ELITE grappler, whatever that means as Kabib is the number1 arguably in the world. Not much of a bold statement. We will see, certainly. Kabib would be favorite but Justin is a live dog no question.