Khabib Nurmagomedov is high on Justin Gaethje following a thrilling showcase against Tony Ferguson on Saturday at UFC 249.
Gaethje (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) produced the biggest moment of his career in the main event when he stopped Ferguson by fifth-round TKO to claim the interim UFC lightweight title. With that, he sets up a title unifier against Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC).
Given the stakes of the bout, Nurmagomedov was watching closely at how things unfolded. He came away with the same impression as many others, which is that Gaethje was utterly impressive.
“It was so impressive,” Nurmagomedov wrote on Twitter. “Congratulation. Very smart fight.”
He offered an additional thought on Instagram, declaring he’ll be ready for any challenge that lays ahead.
“This sport and especially the lightweight division always had the young lions coming at you and if you just relax, then you’re done,” Nurmagomedov wrote. “Some leave and the others come, there is nothing to be surprised. But I won’t back off an inch before the shot. We are still coming for war
The timeline for a unification bout between Gaethje and Nurmagomedov is unknown. Nurmagomedov recently said he could compete as soon as July, but UFC president Dana White previously expressed that might be an ambitious timeline.
For Gaethje, he said late summer would work well for him.
“He’s the best in the world,” Gaethje said on the UFC 249 post-fight show on ESPN. “I’m going to need a couple months to get back. My legs are sore. I would say August or September sounds fun.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov raves about Justin Gaethje's win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 249
