Justin Gaethje, according to many, has cemented his place as the number one contender for the lightweight title. The former interim UFC lightweight champion went to war against Michael Chandler at UFC 268. Both men delivered on their promise to not back down and produced an absolute clinic. ‘The Highlight’ came out on top and won via unanimous decision.
However, many believed Islam Makhachev deserves to fight for the title. Gaethje even got in a Twitter spat with Daniel Cormier. According to Gaethje, Cormier, in the post-fight interview after Makhachev’s fight against Dan Hooker was biased. But DC since then has changed his thoughts and thinks ‘The Highlight‘ should fight for the title.
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He said, “Hey, it’s got me in trouble many times in my life. But I consider myself a straight shooter. When I see something, I speak to it. When I saw that happen that night, I said what I thought, and I was unhappy. If DC was in my shoes, and someone was trying to pass him up, take money off his table, take food away from his family, he would’ve said the same thing. I got respect for what he tried to do but not even DC can challenge the f**king integrity of what I just did.”
In the interview, he was asked about Makhachev, and if in the future he would like to fight him. He said, “Of course! Yeah, I’ll let him go first if he gets the spot. I’ll beat one of these guys, and then I’ll allow him to go first. So, f**k yeah I’m looking forward to that. If he wants to know one thing, f**king war is coming.”
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Justin Gaethje to fight for the title, Islam Makhachev to fight Beneil Dariush?
Justin Gaethje is the number two ranked lightweight, Islam Makhachev is on a nine-fight win streak. Both men have a reason to think they should challenge for the title.
However, in the nine wins, Makhachev has only beaten one top 10 guy, and that was in his last fight. Many believe it should be Gaethje fighting for the title and Ali Abdelaziz just might’ve confirmed it. Abdelaziz is the manager of some of the biggest fighters on the planet and that includes Gaethje and Makhachev.
In a recent interview, when asked about who will fight for the title, he said, “Justin Gaethje is gonna be next. Probably Beneil Dariush is gonna fight Islam Makhachev. Justin Gaethje is gonna fight for the title, probably in May.”
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This clarifies a lot of things, and if Makhachev ends up fighting Dariush, it will make for a great fight. He is also only a win streak of his own, and a win for either of the fighters will guarantee them a title shot.
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Do you think Justin Gaethje should fight for the title next? What do you think of the matchup between Makhachev and Dariush? Let us know in the comments!
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