With win at UFC 244, Gregor Gillespie will call for Khabib Nurmagomedov fight

NEW YORK – Gregor Gillespie wants to make one thing clear: He’s not looking past his UFC 244 opponent Kevin Lee.

Gillespie (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and Lee (17-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) are set to square off in a lightweight fight Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

With his eyes focused on Lee, MMA’s resident fisherman admits he thinks a matchup against champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is on the horizon.

If he gets through Lee on Saturday night, Gillespie said he will ask to be the next in line for Nurmagomedov’s UFC title. One of the highest-level wrestlers in the 155-pound division, Gillespie thinks he provides a unique style matchup Nurmagomedov hasn’t yet faced.

“I think in this sport, in this period in time, I have to be a little more short-sighted,” Gillespie told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “I’ve got a big job to do on Saturday night. I don’t want to look past that. If I can’t beat Kevin Lee, then I’m not going to be fighting Khabib. I’m trying to focus on that at this point in time.

“I think sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. The strikers haven’t been able to get it done with Khabib, so … I’d call for that. For sure. That’s a fight that’s super exciting for me. I always like to challenge myself. Again, I’ve got to get past Kevin on Saturday night. That’s the big test. But yeah, let’s say all goes well on Saturday night – that’s a fight that I’ll call for.”

It’s been a slow burn for Gillespie to be matched with a ranked opponent, but the UFC lightweight has no qualms. He wasn’t in a rush to fight the best and credited the UFC for the job they did bringing him up the ranks.

“I’ve been super fortunate,” Gillespie said. “The UFC has been absolutely amazing with my career and my trajectory. The path they’ve put me on is absolutely amazing … Any time that I’ve wanted to fight, they’ve gotten me in there. That’s not on the UFC, that’s on me.

“… I think you’ve (only) got so much gas in the tank. I don’t get in a ton of wars. But if you fight three or four times a year, you’re going to have a shorter career.”

Always one to keep his game plan under wraps, Gillespie wouldn’t delve into specifics heading into UFC 244. The New York-based lightweight said fans can expect to see the same elements he brings to every fight.

“I don’t talk about my opponents,” Gillespie said. “Kevin is a great fighter. He’s fought some really big names. Everyone knows that. That’s not a secret. It’s definitely the biggest fight of my career – that’s not a secret either. That’s not something I’m oblivious to or naive about. We’re treating it the same. We’ve prepared the same. My trainers have trained me accordingly and I trust that. So, we’ll be ready.”

“… It’s going to be just like every other fight. Same game plan. Same pressure. It might take a little longer to get to the positions I want to, but I’m going to get him.”

UFC 244 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN2/ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.