Khabib-Gaethje Title Fight Targeted For UF 253 On Sept. 19

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

A Lightweight title unification bout between division king, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and interim title holder, Justin Gaethje, is reportedly being targeted for September 19, 2020. That’s according to Combate, who also stated that pay-per-view (PPV) event will be UFC 253.

Gaethje earned his shot at dethroning Khabib after knocking out Tony Ferguson in a highly-entertaining interim title fight at UFC 249 on May 9 (see it again here). Unfortunately, “Highlight’s” crowning moment came at the expense of seeing Khabib finally face off against “El Cucuy” after five failed attempts prior.

Nevertheless, it is now Gaethje’s big-money fight, as he will look for his fifth straight win after winning his last four in a row via knockout. In fact, Justin’s last 11 wins have been stoppage victories via strikes, so Nurmagomedov will definitely have to keep his head on a swivel come fight night.

Speaking of “The Eagle,” he has still yet to taste defeat in his combat career, going 28-0, 12-0 inside the Octagon. In his last fight, Nurmagomedov defeated Dustin Poirier via rear-naked choke at UFC 242. Prior to that, “The Eagle” choked out Conor McGregor at UFC 229 (full recap here).

Of course, Khabib’s return to action relies heavily on the health of his father, who has been battling a multitude of health issues brought on by COVID-19. Thankfully, a recent report revealed that Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov had shown signs of improvement.