Justin Gaethje calls Islam Makhachev his dream fight: “Better matchup for me than Khabib”

Justin Gaethje says Islam Makhachev is his dream fight as he believes he matches up well with the lightweight champion.

Gaethje is set to return to the Octagon in the co-main event of UFC 313 against Dan Hooker on March 8 in Las Vegas. It’s an intriguing matchup and with a win, Gaethje could get a title shot. If he does get a title shot, the current lightweight champ is Makhachev who Gaethje says is his dream fight.

“I want to fight Makhachev, he’s is the champ, and I do believe that is a better matchup for me than Khabib,” Gaethje said.

Although many think Makhachev would pose problems to Gaethje given what Nurmagomedov did, ‘The Highlight’ disagrees. Instead, he thinks Nurmagomedov is on another level and the toughest opponent he’s fought and he thinks he matches up better against Makhachev.

“Khabib was probably the one that I felt even if I performed better, I’m not sure if I could’ve beaten him that night, specifically. That night that I fought Khabib I would say he is my toughest opponent to date,” Gaethje said.

If Justin Gaethje is going to fight Islam Makhachev, he will need to beat Hooker next month. Should he win that, perhaps that is enough for him to get a title shot.

Justin Gaethje is favored to beat Dan Hooker at UFC 313

Gaethje is set to take on Hooker in a highly-anticipated bout at UFC 313 on March 8.

The former UFC interim lightweight champ is a -155 favorite to defeat Hooker who is a +130 underdog. The winner of the fight will be in a good position to get a title shot or be a win away at lightweight.

Gaethje is 25-5 as a pro and coming off a KO loss to Max Holloway last April at UFC 300. Gaethje is 8-5 in the UFC and is the former interim champ. He holds notable wins over Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson, Rafael Fiziev, and Edson Barboza among others.

Dan Hooker, meanwhile, is 24-12 and coming off a decision win over Mateusz Gamrot. Hooker is on a three-fight winning streak and is 14-8 in the UFC.