Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
“I know I’m going to see his blood. I want him to see his blood and I want to see his reaction.
Khabib Nurmagomedov usually comes away from the octagon without a scratch, but Justin Gaethje is no stranger to blood. ‘The Highlight’ plans to bloody Khabib up — perhaps for the first time in his career — in their headlining title unification bout at UFC 254.
Gaethje, 31, loves a good bloodbath, and the Arizonan knockout artist is curious to see how ‘The Eagle’ will react to the taste of his own blood in his mouth on Oct. 25.
“I know I’m going to see his blood. I want him to see his blood and I want to see his reaction. He isn’t as crazy as me, that’s the thing,” Justin Gaethje told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto in a recent interview. “I think he is crazy and loves competition but he isn’t quite as crazy as me. He also hasn’t seen his blood many times, I’m sure. His style of fighting is not something where you are looking for blood. I bet that doesn’t even cross his mind that he will see his own blood. That has never been a factor for him.” (Transcribed by BJPENN.com)
“I know I’m gonna see [Khabib’s] blood.”@Justin_Gaethje wants to see how Nurmagomedov reacts when things get bloody (via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/6m5QqNlyjH
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 22, 2020
Gaethje, the former WSOF lightweight champion, is riding a four-fight win streak and widely considered one of the most dangerous, scrappy fighters in the division. Whether he will be able drag Nurmagomedov into a bloody brawl, however, remains to be seen. Khabib is one of the most dominant fighters of all time and finishes most of his opponents without breaking a sweat, let alone drawing blood.
UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje is scheduled to take place next month, October 24 at UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.