Justin Gaethje has his sights set on another shot at the UFC lightweight championship and hopes the opportunity comes against current titleholder Islam Makhachev.
Before he can earn that chance, Gaethje must first get past Dan Hooker in their five-round co-main event at UFC 313 on March 8 in Las Vegas. The fight is a pivotal moment for “The Highlight,” as it represents a chance to solidify himself once again as a top contender in the division.
The former interim lightweight champ has come close to claiming true UFC gold twice but fell short on both occasions, suffering submission losses to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254 and Charles Oliveira at UFC 274.
Despite these setbacks, his hunger to climb back to the top remains strong.
“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.”
While Gaethje is one of the few fighters to have won a round against Nurmagomedov, he doesn’t believe he could have ultimately 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 admitted. “That night that I fought Khabib, I would say he is my toughest opponent to date.”
With a high-stakes matchup against Hooker ahead, Gaethje remains focused on securing another shot at the title — this time against Makhachev, a challenge he believes he is better suited for than his past title fights.
