Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje is a fight that Al Iaquinta cannot wait to see

UFC star Al Iaquinta was speaking to Helen Yee ahead of the fight between Justin Gaethje and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Gaethje is the interim UFC Lightweight Champion and will face off against the current champ Khabib sooner or later.

The fight hasn’t been handed a date yet but this could be one of the biggest events of the year. Gaethje and Khabib also have the same manager and have a background in wrestling, which should make for an interesting clash.

Yee asked Iaquinta about the fight and the Lightweight star replied:

“I think that’s a really intriguing match-up. Gaethje doesn’t really get held down. Khabib holds every body down, so, I think that would be really where the fight is. On the feet, Gaethje is looking scary and on the mat, Khabib is always looking scary.”

When asked about who would win the clash, Iaquinta had a moment of hesitation before going for Khabib:

“I gotta stick with Khabib. I think he has been doing the same thing to pretty much every body so I see him winning again.”

Impressive Gaethje

Iaquinta was also impressed by what Gaethje did at UFC 249. The American destroyed Tony Ferguson to lift the title and was incredible with his punches and kicks.

Gaethje didn’t do a lot of wrestling in that clash and was praised by Iaquinta. However, the UFC star also highlighted that Ferguson just didn’t seem to be in the right space:

“Gaethje was definitely impressive. Ferguson didn’t look like he has in the past, its a testament to what Justin Gaethje has been doing lately.”

Khabib is undefeated in his MMA career, however, Gaethje was excellent in his win over Ferguson. The American should be a worthy opponent for Khabib, and hopefully, this fight doesn’t get cursed like Khabib vs Ferguson.

More UFC news

• Ariel Helwani confirms horrific injuries sustained by Anthony Smith vs Glover Teixeira

• Israel Adesanya tears Jon Jones apart saying champion will not move up to face Francis Ngannou

• Justin Gaethje explains science behind his kicks and the damage it can cause to Khabib Nurmagomedov

Follow our dedicated UFC page for instant UFC news and updates