Interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje decided to ditch his belt when squaring off against long-time 155lb king Khabib Nurmagomedov ahead of their unification clash at UFC 254.
Gaethje famously threw the interim title to the ground after beating Tony Ferguson to win it at UFC 249 earlier this year. Earlier this week ‘The Highlight’ again showed his disdain for his belt by criticizing Dustin Poirier for emotionally reacting to his interim title win against Max Holloway at UFC 236.
“You saw when Dustin Poirier got that interim title wrapped around his waist… he was done, he made it,” Gaethje said. “You still had the biggest mountain to climb, and that’s Khabib. I think he really did not help himself at all there. Why would you feel that you made it or you’re the champion whenever it’s just an interim title?… The challenge is Khabib!”
Earlier today at the UFC 254 pre-fight press conference Gaethje momentarily posed with his interim title before passing it to one side and then gesturing to Nurmagomedov’s belt – check out the cool clip below.
No interest in the interim…
@Justin_Gaethje discards his belt while facing off with Khabib!
[ #UFC254 – Oct 24 – Main Card at 2pmET ] pic.twitter.com/AS0A7vxnuo
— UFC (@ufc) October 21, 2020
Gaethje is currently riding high off the back of the biggest win of his career against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 which stretched his unbeaten run to four. ‘The Highlight’ previously scored three consecutive first-round KO wins over James Vick, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, and Edson Barboza to establish himself as one of the best and most dangerous 155lb fighters on the planet.
Nurmagomedov has looked as close to perfect as humanly possible since joining the UFC back in 2012. The 32-year-old has won 11 straight fights, rarely dropping a round. He holds high-profile wins over the likes of Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Rafael Dos Anjos. Nurmagomedov will fight for the first time in more than a year in Abu Dhabi this coming weekend. It’ll also the first time he’s competing since his father and mentor Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov passed away.
Do you think Justin Gaethje was right to ditch his interim belt while facing off with Khabib Nurmagomedov?