Would you be surprised if Gaethje defeats Nurmagomedov?

Nah, everyone in MMA has a person that can beat them.
 
I feel like Gaethje has been a bit lucky with his 4 fight win streak. Barboza was eye poked, Cerrone was old and coming off a loss and Tony had a super long camp/double weight cut. He's still much better than he was a couple of years ago though, much more composed. I'm also wondering if the short camp might have even helped Gaethje's gas tank.

There's a few big questions going into this one which make it hard to predict. Can Gaethje stay on his feet? What's his answer if he ends up on his back? Will the threat of the takedown limit his offense? Khabib is relentless, you think you've successfully defended the takedown then he still ends up getting you down.

My prediction is Gaethje gets taken down and looks totally helpless on the ground, khabib gets the tko by ground and pound then people proceed to simultaneously call Khabib the GOAT and say Gaethje is trash.
 
ijngf said:
And you outgrew Khabib?
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No. He is a great champion and looks to be unstoppable right now. He has proven his dominance. So like I said I'd be surprised if Justin won but I would not be mad at all. It would make for some exciting parody.
 
LoadedZeus said:
Night and day difference against Khabib. Gaethje comes from a d1 . wrestling background meaning he has the ability to stop takedowns and scramble effectively. Poirier, on the other hand, doesn't have shit to do with wrestling so just another easy win for khabib. Get outta here with that casual bs.

Also, Gaethjes losses to alvarez and poirier, he was winning both fights until he got knocked out due to being fighting reckless and careless. Those fights prompted a change in his style which we saw from James Vick fight onwards. Gaethje 2.0 would beat poirier comfortably imo, he was winning first fight comfortably
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No.

Just because hes got D1 cred in no way automatically means hes great at stuffing take downs that's just dumb. Dustin's has an established ground game and BJJ black belt with multiple subs...... Gaethe has never even used this supposed all world wrestling in the cage LOL . WTF are even talking about ?

Are you seriously trying to brag about how you think Gaethe was winning against Dustin and Eddie ..... dude he got knocked the fuck out both times. But but but........ he was dooooooing so good until......

Gaethe is a damn fun fighter to watch no doubt but damn.
 
Mildly so, but Gaethje has the best combo of traits in the LW division to do it. If he fails, I think Khabib will retire soon after undefeated. I doubt he fights more than 3-4 more times.
 
Streeter said:
No.

Just because hes got D1 cred in no way automatically means hes great at stuffing take downs that's just dumb. Dustin's has an established ground game and BJJ black belt with multiple subs...... Gaethe has never even used this supposed all world wrestling in the cage LOL . WTF are even talking about ?

Are you seriously trying to brag about how you think Gaethe was winning against Dustin and Eddie ..... dude he got knocked the fuck out both times. But but but........ he was dooooooing so good until......

Gaethe is a damn fun fighter to watch no doubt but damn.
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First of all, having a d1 wrestling background at the very least means that Gaethje is proficient in what wrestling techniques are as well as the fact that he obviously spent a good chunk of career training in wrestling. TD defense for wrestlers is naturally better because they spend a good amount of time training that specific trait alone. That alone makes him one of the toughest fights for Khabib since he focuses on takedowns entirely.

It was the same appeal with Ferguson, we know Gaethje and Ferguson are better strikers than Khabib, but the most important thing being they come from strong wrestling backgrounds. Khabib has faced better strikers before but not a single one came from a wrestling background and it was clearly evident. Still think Khabib is the favorite, but its a very tough fight and I feel we will at the very least see Khabib bleed guaranteed

As for Poirier, all the ground game bjj bs doesn't matter for shit when hes expected to be on the bottom. Unless hes on a demian maia level of grappling, which he clearly isn't. Hes known more as a striker who is no slouch on the ground, nothing more. Poirier was supposed to be a tough fight but solely due to the fact that Poirier had much better striking and was on a tear. People were interested in seeing what he could do on ground but no one had high hopes.

Last point, in regards to Gaethje fights against Johnson, Poirier, and Alvarez, he fought a very different style and he admits to have made changes after knockout losses. In both fights, he was doing more damage and winning rounds but his way of fighting, kill or be killed, like he says himself, were ultimately his downfall. I was genuinly upset that he would just stand and trade even when he was winning.

You misunderstood my point as bragging somehow. Both him and his coach admitted to making serious changes in fights and it showed clearly the next three fights. Very patient and no reckless abandon. Maintains distance and picks off opponents with brutal leg kicks while being smart about when to strike in the pocket. All in all, everything Gaethje brings to table is very interesting indeed, toughest fight of Khabibs career by far and as a Khabib fan moreso, I am actually a bit worried about the fight. Love both guys though and may the best man win.
 
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Even tho I like JG’s chances against Khabib, I will still be surprised just because of how many times Khabib has proven me wrong already.

Also, I feel like the person to beat him will be someone who is not already mentally defeated before the fight starts.

Weidman was the first one who fought Anderson during his reign that did not look nervous before or during the fight. Serra took it to gsp, and got the finish, Hendricks was the first to fight gsp who honestly believed he was better everywhere and look how well he did. Gus took it to bones and gave him his hardest fight.

When these guys reach a certain level, they start winning because of their aura and their opponents mentally are not ready, even if they have the skills to actually win. I do not believe that Justin will wilt like others have, look at poirer.. he got taken down and started looking at his corner all wide eyed and panicky, I knew he was going to lose after that.
 
quadrunner said:
he got taken down and started looking at his corner all wide eyed and panicky, I knew he was going to lose after that.
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When was it during the fight? I don't remember Poirier succeeding much with the takedowns in this fight...
 
quadrunner said:
I was talking about Dustin’s reaction to being taken down by Khabib
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Ah sorry, right.
But I believe that Gaethje is much more mentally stable in the fight than Poirier. Poirier is not known for his strongest mindset
 
AimedWithV said:
Ah sorry, right.
But I believe that Gaethje is much more mentally stable in the fight than Poirier. Poirier is not known for his strongest mindset
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Agreed, I don’t think anything can break Justin mentally and that will be his biggest advantage against Khabib
 
No I wouldn't.
It's no longer possible for me to be surprised by the outcome of a fight, ever since the 2 Crocop x Randleman fights I have seen it all and no outcome will ever surprise me again.
 
Yes, although MMA always throws up crazy results so I shouldn't be

Once Khabib takes him down on all evidence from both their abilities he shouldnt be able to get back up and will either get RNC'd or TKO'd from full mount
 
pinero said:
I don't know , he can keep you in the mat and punish with GnP, he can avoid take downs, good gas tank, he can stand and take punches, I don't think he a is very one dimensional fighter, much less than a defeat is going to show a magic game plan to beat him
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Hmm, you could be right, but I think it is too good to be true. Someone like Rockhold, who looked invincible after the Weidman fight, was then exposed to have a glaring flaw in terms of boxing defense.

My pet theory is that khabib will look awful going backwards, and won't know how to beat an opponent if they press forward and don't give ground.

But that could be wrong, and he could legitimately just be that good.
We will see.
 
shoorik1987 said:
The game plan has been clear as day since day 1... don't get taken down.

Joe Rogan: "They know what he wants to do, they can't stop it."
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Nah, thats not it. He is very, very good, but his takedowns rely on the fence. I would be interested to see someone like Gaethje, who can pressure and not give ground, whereas a striker like Conor will back up to counterstrike, a striker like Gaethje will simply walk forward and plant his feet. I don't know if gaethje will back up to the fence or not, but we will see in that first round.

Anyway, he might just be that good, but I'm not convinced yet. I'm not convinced that once someone beats him, he won't be out-gameplanned for the rest of his career. Thats the problem with one dimensional fighters.

Don't get me wrong, he has competent striking, but it won't survive without his wrestling.
 
Everyone one can lose against other top level MMA fighters. Gaethje is a bad mutha who certainly has what it takes to beat anyone in his division. Striker versus wrestler usually is intriguing to see just how it plays out. This is even more so with top level guys like this. As much I wanted to see Tony/Khabib fight I'm just as excited now for this match up.
 
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